Penguins Notebook: Kindel Injury Worse than Thought; Prospect Evaluations

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without center Ben Kindel for an extended period after his injury was downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week. Minor league manager of operations Amanda Kessel confirmed the update on Thursday. Kindel suffered the unspecified injury during the first period of Pittsburgh's opening preseason game, where he was centering Bryan Rust and Andrei Kuzmenko.

Additionally, Kessel addressed logistical hurdles following the relocation of the Penguins' ECHL affiliation to the Florida Everblades. The extended distance may require the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to carry extra roster depth, notably goaltenders, due to the loss of quick emergency driving recalls previously available from Wheeling.