The Penguins’ practice sheet had a little extra juice Tuesday, and not just because Dan Muse keeps reshuffling the deck. Ben Kindel was back on the ice and then back in front of reporters, where he addressed the scary incident that had kept him out. Muse also moved him into a new line combination, while Hendrix Lapierre got another look in a different spot as well.
That kind of tinkering usually gets fans talking, especially when it involves a lineup look people have been waiting to see. But the numbers from Muse’s previous tries at similar experiments aren’t exactly encouraging. There is precedent for these kinds of practice changes, and the results from those earlier looks haven’t been great.
There was also a fresh glimpse of the Penguins’ Hometown Remix jerseys, which appear to be blue and yellow. For whatever reason, that seems to be the direction.
Elsewhere around the NHL, trade chatter is picking up in a few places, though the action still sounds slow to arrive. Seattle has been quietly working the market for months in search of a scoring winger, with young players available to move. Philadelphia is hunting for centers, but only the kind with top-six upside, and there have even been trade talks with Chicago on pieces that fit that mold.
The Penguins, meanwhile, aren’t the only team dealing with roster frustration. Darren Dreger reported that another club is trying to get younger by dangling veterans at a premium, and Nashville is putting defensemen into the conversation. It’s a market that sounds busy on paper and sluggish in practice.
On the ice, the Devils made the loudest statement. Connor Hellebuyck made his New Jersey debut and allowed one goal in his first start, while Jack Hughes scored a beauty and the energy in Dallas was obvious. The Devils looked like the real thing.
At the other end of the mood spectrum, Winnipeg is spiraling. Florida beat the Jets for their sixth straight loss, and the frustration is starting to boil over. Paul Maurice backed them after the game, but that doesn’t change the reality of where things stand.
Philadelphia had its own rough night, too: a bad start, a strong comeback, and still a loss to Columbus.
One more note that may catch the eye in Pittsburgh: Drew Doughty wants to keep playing past 40, and he wants to do it with the Kings. He was direct about it, said he’s already made his wishes known to GM Ken Holland, and even said he’d accept a team-friendly deal to stay. Sound familiar?
In Other News...
Penguins Injury Crunch Just Opened A Needed Window
Multiple injuries have left the Penguins with a little breathing room this week, at least in terms of the schedule. With a few days off before their next game and only two contests later in the week, the pause comes at a time when the roster could use it, giving the team a chance to reset while it waits for bodies to get healthier and for a few possible reinforcements to become available when play resumes.
One of the more interesting sidelined-storylines is on the back end, where Chase Pietila is still waiting for his NHL debut. Up front, Rickard Rakell at least gave the Penguins something encouraging to hang onto after turning in his best game of the season, a reminder that even in a stretch defined by injuries, there can be pockets of momentum worth watching when the lineup starts to take shape again. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Get Reassuring Ben Kindel Update As Another Return Looms
Ben Kindel was back on the ice with the Penguins on Friday, a welcome sight two weeks after he was forced out of the lineup following a medical scare on the team plane. Pittsburgh also had defenseman Sam Girard and forward Egor Chinakhov back at practice, giving the group a healthier look as it worked through split drills with players in different contact-level jerseys.
For the Penguins, the biggest takeaway was simply seeing Kindel moving through a normal practice setting again after the setback. The team still had one notable absence in winger Elmer Soderblom, who was out with an upper-body injury and listed as day to day, leaving Pittsburgh with at least one more item to monitor as it continues sorting out its lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Early Slide Has Put Dubas In A Tough Spot
The early-season drift has already put Kyle Dubas in a tricky position, because the Penguins are once again facing the same uncomfortable question that follows any slow start: stick with the veteran core and hope it steadies the room, or start looking at the market before the rest of the league decides the teams path for them. Jim Biringer of NHL Rumors.com said on TSN Radio that if the slide keeps going, Pittsburgh could move from patience to a more obvious sell-off, even if the names at the very top of the roster remain off the table.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still expected to stay put, but the conversation gets more complicated from there. Biringer pointed to a possible retool and a push to get younger after last seasons overachievement, and that naturally puts attention on players who could bring back future pieces if the Penguins decide to listen. Erik Karlsson has been mentioned in that mix, along with Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, which is the sort of buzz that tends to hang around a team only when the standings start to tighten and the front office has to think beyond the next week. [Read more 🡒]