Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
Is the rapid ascent of 11th overall pick Ben Kindel the Pittsburgh Penguins’ greatest surprise to begin the 2025-26 season? [PensBurgh]
Defenseman Ryan Graves’ Penguins tenure has been a rocky road thus far. Beginning the 2025-26 season in the American Hockey League after the Penguins waived him on Oct. 4, Graves now finds himself back in the NHL due to the injury bug. Whether or not this is a Tristan Jarry-esque redemption arc, Graves has been able to make the most out of a challenging situation.
[Trib Live]
Sure, there’s an excitement about playing overseas in an NHL game that carries some form of weight for captain Sidney Crosby. However, once he knew he was returning to Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series, he was completely stoked to visit the Vasa Museum, home to the best-preserved seventeenth-century ship in the world. [Penguins]
Erik Karlsson, now getting a rare chance to play in front of his countrypeople in Sweden, is ready to be one of the main attractions during this two-game series, which he no doubt hopes serves as something of a springboard ahead of the 2026 Olympics. [NHL]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand became the 102nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points after reaching the rare milestone on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals. [Associated Press]
Given the condensed schedule the NHL and its players will face as a result of participating in the 2026 Olympics, teams have found creative ways to rest their goalies as the season progresses. [NHL]
The NHL has signed a global sponsorship agreement with Norqain, a Swiss watch brand co-founded by former NHL defenseman (and one-time Penguin) Mark Streit, which has also received investments from Sidney Crosby and Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi. [Sports Business Journal]
