Newest Colorado Avalanche defenseman will make his team debut against the Dallas Stars

The Colorado Avalanche will face the Dallas Stars tonight at Ball Arena and the defensive group will feature a new face. Ilya Solovyov, whom the Avalanche claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames, will be filling in for Sam Girard, who was recently reported to be injured. This will be Solovyov's team debut. The only news on Girard is that he's likely to be out week-to-week, according to the game day presser today from Jared Bednar.

What Solovyov brings to the Avalanche defense

Solovyov, 25, has shown to be a two-way defenseman and comes with size. He is a big body at 6'3" and 209 pounds and is a quality puck mover and shutdown defenseman. In 10 games with the Calgary Flames in the 2023-24 season, he notched three assists. As a left shot defenseman, he could slide right into Girard's spot opposite Josh Manson. However, he is able to play both the right and left side as he's shown in the past.

With that, the Avalanche could reasonably slot him anywhere on the second or third pairing. The lineup will probably continue to keep Brent Burns and Josh Manson on the right-side, as that's where both players are most effective. That puts Malinski and Solovyov on the left. The lineups listed at Daily Faceoff show Solovyov manning the left side on the third pair with Josh Manson on the right.

It'll be most interesting to see where Solovyov slots in on the penalty kill, if he does at all. While Cale Makar and Devon Toews can both pull penalty kill duty, the team would be better served if their minutes could be spent more at five on five, so they can create offense. Again, referring back to the Daily Faceoff lineups, Solovyov is absent from both penalty kill units. However, so is Brent Burns and that's one of the major reasons the Avs wanted to sign Brent Burns.

What this means for the Avalanche moving forward

If Girard's injury keeps him out for an extended length of time, then the Avs will be utilizing Solovyov much more often. However, I do believe that Keaton Middleton, who was recently sent down to the Avs' AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles, will be called up to the roster to be the seventh defenseman. Middleton and Solovyov would ideally rotate that sixth defenseman spot. It is possible that both could play in the lineup if Sam Malinski has any more struggles playing on his off-hand side.

Solovyov sounds like a valuable addition to the team. He provides both puck moving skills, which are essential to Colorado's system, and big size that he uses to shut down defenders. The Avalanche definitely need him to step up as Girard is an important piece for the defense.