Ilya Solovyov Still Has Work To Do After New Deal

A new contract gives Ilya Solovyov security, but it does not hand him a finished résumé. The Penguins are betting on upside here, and that means the next stage is about proving he can turn opportunity into something sturdier than projection. In pro hockey, the ink on the deal is the easy part - the real test starts when the games get honest. This story asks whether Solovyov can use the new runway to force his way into a bigger role.