Penguins Have Decisions To Make on Defense

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas continued his quest for young talent over the weekend, claiming Vladislav Kolyachonok from the Utah Hockey Club. Kolyachonok, a 23-year-old left-handed defenseman, has five points in 23 games this season for Utah.

The former second-round pick is known for his skating and puck-moving ability but was recently praised for his work ethic by former Penguins defenseman Ian Cole. Cole told Brogan Houston of Deseret News that Kolyachonok's habits mirror those of Sidney Crosby. That will undoubtedly endear him to his new captain.

The Penguins now have eight defensemen on their active roster. Kolyachonok will likely start in a similar role to what he had in Utah, playing third-pairing minutes. His ability to play either side means that Ryan Shea may find himself on waivers following the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Shea was a healthy scratch for 16 of the last 18 games and struggled in both games he did play. Meanwhile, Ryan Graves appears destined for the press box despite putting up good underlying numbers next to Vincent Desharnais this past week.

Some have wondered what this addition means for the trade deadline. The answer is very little. Yes, the Penguins have another NHL-level option for the left side of the defense if Matt Grzelcyk is traded.

However, Kolyachonok has averaged just over 12 minutes of ice time per game this season, never once registering over 20 minutes in a single game. Grzelcyk has surpassed that mark four times in the past five games. It's unlikely they would throw Kolyachonok into a top-four spot this season.

The Penguins may still look to capitalize on Grzelcyk's recent performance and elevated trade value, but adding Kolyachonok doesn't affect the likelihood of that move. It's another example, like Cody Glass and Philip Tomasino before him, of Dubas adding young players with high pedigree via a low-risk transaction.

What that means for other depth defensemen like Graves, Shea, Desharnais, and even rookie standout Owen Pickering remains to be seen.