With Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's injury status questionable in the coming days - and Evgeni Malkin still out - who should get the call from the AHL to fill in some center depth on the NHL roster? On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok [https://www.nhl.com/utah/player/vladislav-kolyachonok-8481609] off waivers from the Utah Hockey Club. The 23-year-old from Minsk, Belarus, is playing in his fourth NHL season and has two goals and five points in 23 games. Initially drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round (52nd overall) in 2019, Kolyachonok debuted during the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes and played 32 games, tallying a goal and three points. He has played 62 games in the NHL, scoring four goals and 12 points and averaging 14:12 in ice time. Kolyachonok made his North American debut in 2018-19 with the London Knights in the OHL before transferring to the Flint Firebirds, where he spent two seasons. Upon getting drafted, the left-handed defenseman skated in the AHL, spending time with the Syracuse Crunch and Tucson Roadrunners. In 150 AHL games [https://theahl.com/stats/player/8692], Kolyachonok has 13 goals and 35 assists for 48 points with 76 penalty minutes. He is signed through the 2025-26 season with an NHL salary of $775,000 [https://capwages.com/players/vladislav-kolyachonok]. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyMTYyNzc0NjIzNTk0MDE5/thnpitnews.png] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwNjYwNDIwMDI3OTUwOTI5/thnpitbanner.png]
