Kuzmenko Steps Away. The Left Wing Depth Chart Just Got Shorter.

Andrei Kuzmenko has taken a leave of absence from the Penguins after his father was killed by a bear in Russia. There is no timetable for his return, and none should be expected — this is a family tragedy, full stop.

The roster reality is what it is, though, and it lands at a bad moment. Kuzmenko signed a one-year deal to join Pittsburgh in July and was sitting atop the left wing depth chart heading into the final days of camp. Nicholas Robertson is behind him, and Elmer Soderblom after that. Robertson was brought in this summer specifically as a piece of the secondary scoring rebuild after Mantha left for New Jersey — he was not signed to be the top left wing on opening night. That's where things stand now.

Pittsburgh was already navigating Kindel's injury, a thin blue line, and a center depth situation I've been writing about for the better part of two weeks. Losing Kuzmenko — even temporarily — adds another variable to a roster that didn't have much slack to begin with. The Penguins will manage it. They don't have a choice.