CRANBERRY TWP., Pa. - The Pittsburgh Penguins got a tougher diagnosis than expected on Ben Kindel, and for now they’ll have to wait on one of last season’s biggest surprises.
What first looked like a day-to-day issue has turned into something longer. According to minor league manager of operations Amanda Kessel, Kindel’s injury “is looking more like week to week,” and the team said it will provide another update once it knows more.
Kindel went down with an unspecified injury in the first period of the Penguins’ first preseason game. He had opened camp centering Bryan Rust and Andrei Kuzmenko, and that was the line he started on in the game as well.
The setback lands after a breakout rookie season in which Kindel, then 18, played 77 games and produced 17 goals and 35 points.
Kessel also touched on the changing realities of the Penguins’ minor league setup, especially now that the organization’s ECHL affiliate is based in southern Florida with the Florida Everblades. That shift makes quick recalls less convenient than when the affiliate was in Wheeling, particularly for game-day or emergency call-ups.
She said the logistics may force the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to keep more players on hand.
“No, that’s definitely something that we might carry an extra body or two this year, just because we can’t have somebody drive five hours and be there for the game,” Kessel said.
Goalie depth is one area where that could matter. In the past, short-notice needs could be covered by having a Wheeling Nailers goalie make the trip to Wilkes-Barre. This season, Sergei Murashov, Joel Blomqvist and Taylor Gauthier are the names in the mix, but the emergency plan is still undecided.
Even with the travel wrinkle, Kessel pointed to how much the Penguins’ minor league pipeline has changed since Kyle Dubas arrived as general manager in 2023. The system now looks far deeper and more competitive than it once did, with a roster in Wilkes-Barre that figures to include several high-end prospects and players with NHL experience.
Kessel, who was recently named a U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, has played a role in rebuilding that pipeline. She said the organization wants its prospects tested in real pressure, not sheltered from it.
“Yeah, we want our young prospects or any prospects to be put into hard situations and be tested,” said Kessel. “And we think that having a competitive team, allowing them to play longer in the year and hopefully going far in the playoffs, allows them more games, more competition against better players-it just pushes them to that next step.”
When the conversation turned to specific players, Kessel kept her answers direct.
On Ville Koivunen, who signed an eight-year deal in the offseason, she stressed the work still ahead:
“Yeah, some of it’s preparation. Some of it’s being put in different situations.
A lot of it’s on him. I think he had a great offseason.
He put in the work, and now it’s time to show it. But he has all the potential to do it, and we believe in him as a player.”
On the possibility of pairing Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke, she liked the fit and the upside, but said consistency is the hurdle:
“I think they’re really close. I think they have both proven that they can play.
It’s just showing that consistently. Can you play 82 games and take the spot of someone who’s consistently been there?
They both bring a little bit different games to the table. Harrison’s a little bit more up and down the ice, but I think that’s a good complement as a pair.”
Kessel also singled out Tommy Galvas, praising the skill that stood out to her on film and in person:
“He’s an exciting player. I was really impressed with him.
I’d only really seen him on TV, in the World Juniors, dominating there. So, for a little guy, he stays on his feet quite well.
I think it’s just continuing to develop that strength. But he’s got tools that a lot of players don’t have, and that offensive, dynamic ability, that’s something that our organization was looking for.”
And when asked about Rutger McGroarty, Kessel liked what she has seen so far:
“I think he’s looked great. He came in, and he’s healthy so far, and that’s a good thing for him.
In scrimmages, he’s looked really good. Now, just like I said, it’s hard to make the NHL, and it’s taking some of the spot that’s been there consistently.”
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Penguins Opening Night Plans Already Face Another Lineup Problem
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Blake Lizotte is also listed as week-to-week, which only adds to the uncertainty in the middle of the roster. Andrei Kuzmenko is away from the club for a family matter, leaving the Penguins with one more variable to manage as they continue shaping the early-season group and trying to hold the bottom of the lineup together. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Forward Andrei Kuzmenko Is Dealing With An Unimaginable Loss
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Alexander Kuzmenko was widely known as a hockey coach, which made the loss resonate well beyond one family. The incident also comes during a record year of bear attacks in Russia, a grim backdrop to an already unimaginable story for a player trying to navigate life in the middle of the NHL season. [Read more 🡒]