The Pittsburgh Penguins have checked two names off their offseason to-do list. On Thursday morning, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas announced that the club has agreed to terms on contract extensions with pending unrestricted free agents Connor Dewar and Ilya Solovyov.
Congratulations to Ilya Solovyov of the Pittsburgh #LetsGoPens on signing a 1-year NHL contract extension! #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/XO7lbYYBba
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) May 7, 2026
Dewar, 26, was rewarded with a two-year extension carrying an average annual value (AAV) of $2.25 million, keeping him under contract through the 2027-28 season.
Originally acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, the Manitoba native thrived in his first full season in the Steel City. Dewar was a vital energy piece in Pittsburgh's bottom six, setting career highs across the board with 14 goals, 16 assists, and 30 points in 78 games. He also tallied two goals during the Penguins' six-game, first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers. The new deal represents a solid pay bump from his previous $1.1 million cap hit.
Solovyov, a Belarusian blueliner, inked a one-year, $850,000 extension for the 2026-27 campaign.
The defenseman was a mid-season acquisition for Dubas, arriving in January via a trade with the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Solovyov settled in reliably on the Penguins' back end, appearing in 14 regular-season games for Pittsburgh and registering five assists. Across his 30 total NHL games this season split between Colorado and Pittsburgh, he posted eight point