Kindel Exits a Pre-Season Game. The Center Depth Chart Gets Thinner.

Ben Kindel left Pittsburgh's pre-season opener with a lower-body injury, and the timing is about as bad as it gets. He was one of the more reliable secondary contributors last season — 22 points in 48 games — and with Crosby and Malkin occupying the top two center slots, the depth behind them was already thin before he went down.

The camp depth chart at center lists Tristan Broz, Hendrix Lapierre, and David Gustafsson, none of whom have established themselves as NHL regulars. That's the group now asked to absorb any slack if Kindel misses time. Tommy Novak, who locked up a three-year extension in July, is the steadiest name in the middle-six mix, but he's a third-line center, not a solution to a depth crisis.

The front office spent the summer pursuing trade interest in a young center from Seattle, which suggested they already viewed this position as a bridge situation. Kindel getting hurt in the first pre-season game doesn't change that read — it just makes it more urgent. No severity has been disclosed yet, so there's no reason to overreact. But the Penguins don't have much margin here, and this is worth watching closely as camp continues.