Vladislav Kolyachonok looking to find a regular home on Bruins’ blue line

“Whatever they tell me to do, I can do it."

Defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok saw action in 11 games this season for the Stars. Jason Redmond /AP photo

December 17, 2025

3 minutes to read

Vladislav Kolyachonok is no stranger to packing his bags and traversing the continent to follow his hockey dreams.

The fleet-footed defenseman only turned 24 years old in May. But, the former Panthers’ second-round pick (2019) has already played for six different NHL teams.

“It’s hockey. It’s a business, right,” Kolyachonok said Wednesday following practice at TD Garden. “So not everything we can control. But I always try to be my best and stay with it.”

The Bruins stand as the sixth team that Kolyachonok will skate for — with Boston claiming the left-shot D off waivers from the Dallas Stars on Tuesday afternoon.

Ideally, Boston ends the carousel of clubs that Kolyachonok has joined as he looks to carve out a regular role at hockey’s highest level.

“Whatever they tell me to do, I can do it,” Kolyachonok said of how he believes he can help Boston’s blue line.

A logjam of capable D-men in Dallas prompted the Stars to expose Kolyachonok to waivers, ending his tenure after scoring a goal and adding two helpers across 11 games down in Texas.

The Bruins — already dealing with a depleted D corps amid injuries to skaters like Jonathan Aspirot, Michael Callahan, Henri Jokiharju, and Jordan Harris — welcomed the opportunity to take Kolyachonok off of Dallas’ hands.

“We needed, I would say, some extra help,” Marco Sturm said after Boston’s practice on Wednesday. “We’re running really thin right now, and we didn’t want to get in trouble with one injury away. So we felt like he would be a good addition to our D group. [Don Sweeney] and his staff were scouting him for the last little bit. He seems like a good kid. It’s nice to have him.”

Kolyachonok — who skated as Boston’s spare blueliner during Wednesday’s skate — has appeared in 85 games across parts of five NHL seasons.

Even with his limited reps, a peak under the hood at Kolyachonok’s metrics paints the picture of a sound, puck-moving asset whose mobility has helped curb the amount of time he’s spent snuffing out scoring chances in the D-zone.

During Kolyachonok’s 134:34 of 5-on-5 ice time with Dallas this season, the Stars outscored opponents, 5-2, and held a 28-16 edge in high-danger scoring chances generated, per Natural Stat Trick.

“He has a little bit of everything,” Sturm said of his new defenseman. “I feel like he has a little bit of offense, he can defend, I think he played some PK as well. Again, we look at him as a depth guy and hopefully he’s going to get a chance, too. I don’t know when — but again, we’re just happy to have an extra body.”

A tough test awaits

Sturm and the Bruins know what awaits on Thursday night when Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers come to town.

If only that meeting had come a bit earlier on the calendar, as Sturm opined.

“I’ve seen them way too many times with [Los Angeles], so I know them very well,” Sturm said. “Unfortunately right now they’re on a little bit of a hot streak. I wish we played them two, three weeks ago, when they were struggling. But right now, they’re the same old Oilers I remember.”

After entering Thanksgiving with a pedestrian 10-10-5 record, Edmonton has gone 6-2-1 over its last nine games. McDavid has lead the charge with a whopping 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) over that stretch.

Avoiding extended stints in the sin bin will be crucial for the Bruins if they want to survive the Oilers’ expected O-zone onslaught.

Edmonton is cashing in on a league-best 32.6 percent of its power-play bids, while Boston’s penalty kill is negating just 72 percent (18-for-25) of opposing man advantages over its last nine games.

“They’re very hot,” Sturm said of the Oilers. “McDavid, Draisaitl, those guys just drive the bus. So we’re gonna have our hands full tomorrow. … The power play, those are big moments. We’ve got to play in five-on-five, and don’t give them too much room out there.”

Jeannot under the weather

Tanner Jeannot was the lone lineup regular from Tuesday’s win over Utah who did not take to the ice at TD Garden for Wednesday’s practice. Surm said that Jeannot is dealing with an illness, and the team will re-evaluate his status for Thursday during morning skate.