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Penguins One-Timers: Promote Kindel? Camp Decisions Look Worse
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- Penguins One-Timers: Promote Kindel? Camp Decisions Look Worse
Penguins One-Timers: Promote Kindel? Camp Decisions Look Worse
In the final days of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp, would-be rookies Tristan Broz and Owen Pickering skated with marginal veterans such as Danton Heinen and others on AHL contracts, who were obviously heading for the lonely drive on I-80 to Wilkes-Barre and a season of bus rides to Allentown and Springfield.
The Penguins' young players obviously knew what being in the B Group meant, and they wore the disappointment on their faces like the Penguins' workout gear they proudly sported in the days prior.
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Yet, just a few weeks into the 2025-26 NHL season, the Penguins' lineup could use both the left-handed defenseman Pickering and Broz, the stocky center with soft hands. And perhaps a couple more of call-ups, too.
The Penguins are off to a great start, even after their shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday.
But the last two games have been tests of resilience and expositions of shortcomings. The Penguins' resilience is a wonderful trait, but they have forced themselves into that adversity with turnovers, messy play, and some who aren't pulling their weight.
To be blunt, those decisions in early October to bounce Pickering and Broz, and eventually demote Ville Koivunen in a roster management move, look bad and are unfolding almost exactly as most predicted.
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As context for the criticism, the Penguins' solid start is putting more distance between them and a high draft pick, especially as so many other Eastern Conference teams are submitting dog-eaten homework in October.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are 2-4-2. The New York Rangers , with new coach Mike Sullivan, are 3-4-2. Even the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are only 4-4-1 as they struggle to get their lines straight after key losses (Toronto lost Mitch Marner via pending free agency, and Ottawa is without Brady Tkachuk for a couple of months due to injury).
The gaggle of mediocre starts as teams deal with problems only serves to make the Penguins' start more shocking, but a greater opportunity. As Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas steadfastly pushed back on any notions that he would worsen his team in order to boost the team's 2026 NHL Draft fortunes, he put together a cast of players hungry for a chance.
On paper, the Penguins should be among the mediocre, and before long, they could find themselves down with the dregs of the NHL standings. After all, the last couple of games have not been good; the Penguins have been badly outplayed, outshot, and outchanced.
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The Penguins' third line had one shot Saturday, which builds upon struggles by Tommy Novak and Philip Tomasino , who has been especially ineffective.
The Penguins' third defense pairing has had issues with reliability and consistency, which is part of the reason that right-handed rookie D-man Harrison Brunicke sat out the last two games–one more than the scheduled load management scratch.
But Connor Clifton 's play in Brunicke's place over the last two games did little to solidify his claim on a lineup spot. Compounding the matter, one of only three left-handed defensemen on the roster, Caleb Jones , will be out for the next eight weeks with a lower-body injury.
So, in a unique twist, the Penguins could be better by adding the young players they have already eschewed.
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The left-handed rookie Pickering would be an easy addition to the lineup. In fairness, Pickering was mundane in camp and preseason–neither a standout nor problematic. His quiet camp failed to earn a spot in the eyes of decision makers, but stable play would be a welcome addition to the pairing.
Just as Koivunen's return to the NHL would provide an immediate upgrade and scoring threat on Kindel's wing, which has thus far been greatly missing.
If the Penguins plan to sit Kindel every third game, then Broz would be the right call as the third-line center in those absences instead of Novak. Perhaps Broz could play the wing in games when Kindel plays, or perhaps not; his career didn't take off until college coaches and the Penguins WBS staff put him in the middle, so the latter part of the plan is questionable.
Broz's relegation is the only downside to Kindel's ascension. Broz earned a spot, but a full-time role really doesn't exist for him as the team is currently constituted. However, a part-time role wouldn't be the worst thing–especially if the Penguins are without Rickard Rakell for any length of time.
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One-Timers
**Coach Dan Muse put Evgeni Malkin with Sidney Crosby numerous times in the early season, including on the first shift of the first few games. If Rakell is out, could the coaches elevate Malkin to Crosby's wing and slide Kindel up to the second line center?
As well as the Anthony Mantha-Malkin-Justin Brazeau line worked for the first handful of games, it is not irreplaceable and unlikely to maintain the current level of production.
A line juggle might be in order, including elevating Kindel. The bet here is that the kid can handle more.
**The Penguins will be short a top-six winger unless Muse elevates Malkin to wing and Kindel to 2C. If Muse were to follow standard protocol in the event of a Rakell's absence by simply elevating each player up one line, that means Malkin or Crosby would play with Novak, who, to put it kindly, has yet to distinguish himself in a Penguins uniform.
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It's Koivunen, who should get the first shot at filling the opening, but perhaps do so with Malkin, as he struggled with Sidney Crosby in the first two games.
**Tomasino's NHL time could be coming to a close. He just hasn't made any impact during his chances this season, which follows much of his play last season. He struggles in the harder areas of the game, such as wall play, puck battles, and creating space in the tight areas, which nullifies his natural skills.
**The Penguins need a win on Monday against St. Louis . If not, they are about to embark on a four-game road trip with awkward scheduling, beginning with an amped Philadelphia Flyers team and a red-hot Trevor Zegras . Minnesota , Winnipeg , and Toronto await.
It's been two very bad games in a row. Despite the nice weather, the Penguins could snowball if they don't get some feel-goods quickly.
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The post Penguins One-Timers: Promote Kindel? Camp Decisions Look Worse appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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