The Pittsburgh Penguins had to take center Ben Kindel out of Monday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres because of a lower-body injury.
Kindel exited after the first period. The exact moment the issue began isn’t clear, though he did run into the net earlier in the period and appeared slow getting back up. He still finished the frame, so the injury that forced him out may have been something else.
There’s no update yet on how serious it is. Since this is only preseason and Kindel is expected to make the roster, the Penguins may simply have decided to shut him down at the first hint of trouble rather than risk anything worse. An update could come after Monday’s game or before Tuesday’s matchup with the Detroit Red Wings.
Before leaving, Kindel had a shot, a blocked shot and went 6-for-7 on faceoffs in 6:13 of ice time. Pittsburgh was ahead 1-0 when he left.
He spent that period skating with Bryan Rust and Andrei Kuzmenko, a combination that looks like the Penguins’ third line to open the season. The group clicked quickly, posting a 93.24% 5v5 expected goal share in 3:46 together, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Kindel is coming off a strong rookie season in which he scored 17 goals and added 18 assists for 35 points in 77 games. That kind of debut caught plenty of people off guard after he was taken 11th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, but he adjusted immediately.
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