Ben Kindel has been up in his native Vancouver this off-season in preparation for the 2026-27 season. His practice group made some headlines for the wrong reason when Conor Bedard got injured and subsequently had to undergo a shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the start of the season.
There’s been no such problems for Kindel, whose skills are looking pretty good.
Kindel’s position within the
lineup next season will be one of the more intriguing points. Evgeni Malkin was already fading down as a pure center before he got injured last season- his faceoffs per month dropped from 102 in October to 90 in November – and then upon his return from injury by January he was almost exclusively playing the wing. Given Malkin’s upcoming 40th birthday and frank talk from Kyle Dubas about Malkin’s role needing to have a willingness to shift from the past, it’s looking increasingly likely that Malkin’s full-time days as a center are over.
That leaves the Pens in a tough spot to fill the lineup at center in between Sidney Crosby on the first line and Blake Lizotte on the fourth line. Tommy Novak is a natural center from his younger days but morphed into more of a winger in the NHL. Ditto Rickard Rakell, to a larger degree. That, along with Kindel, is likely what the Penguins have to work with as of now.
The splits of whether or not Kindel is considered a ‘second’ or ‘third’ liner is virtually meaningless under the classifications of ice time and usage under Dan Muse. Last season, as an 18-year old, Kindel averaged 12:36 in even strength ice time – eighth most among regular Penguin forwards. Novak was at 13:06 at the sixth in the splits and Egor Chinakhov at fifth averaged 13:36. Ninth ranked Justin Brazeau had a dip, playing only 11:37 per game – barely more than the fourth line core of Lizotte (11:20) and Connor Dewar (11:13).
Barring a drastic shift in philosophy, the Pens will be asking players in that mid-line role to play about 12-14 minutes per game, of which Kindel figures to slot somewhere in that range.
The bigger question might be which kind of linemates Kindel has to work with. Last season Kindel’s most common forward 5v5 partners were Brazeau, Anthony Mantha, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty and Novak as the only players to share over 100 minutes with the rookie, indicating more of a third line share of talent.
That could be different for the upcoming year, if Kindel is placed in a spot where he’s centering options like Chinakhov, Malkin, Andrei Kuzmenko and Rickard Rakell on what would be considered more of a second line with offensive talent. The ice time amounts won’t be much different, but the quality of teammate could take a big step up.
Failing that, Kindel could also just as easily spend time with lower-level options like Brazeau, Novak, Nick Robertson, Elmer Soderblom and Hendrix Lapierre, in less of a premier spot within the lineup. More than likely, since roles and lines are often fluid, it will be a mix of both to find which pieces are working best when tried in a variety of areas and combinations.
Those decisions, which we’ll start to see unfold in September at training camp, will shape the makeup of the Pittsburgh lineup in a major way. For now in the summer, all Kindel can do is hone his craft and keep working to make sure he builds upon a successful rookie season.
