Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) and Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) take a third period face-off during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images ‘Twas the night before Pittsburgh Penguins training camp, but the young ones are not tucked neatly into bed, and some of them won’t even be in camp.
It would seem Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas’s first order of business to alleviate overcrowding in the Penguins’ facilities is to send several high picks back to their junior teams before camp begins. Tuesday night, the team reassigned 2025 second-rounder Peyton Kettles, 2026 third-rounder Pierce Mbuyi, and five more prospects back to junior hockey.
While the Penguins have only three days of practice before preseason games begin and they pare down from three practice groups to one, it might be unprecedented for the organization not to invite a second-round pick to camp. Or a third-rounder.
It would seem the schedule and the situation stand in opposition to the Penguins’ rebuilding undercurrent. If highly drafted prospects are being sent home before camp, one could assume that others, such as first-rounder Liam Ruck, won’t last long either.
So much for using camp for development. In fact, the Penguins are again becoming one of the oldest teams in the league.
Much like Matthew McConaughey’s iconic character in Dazed and Confused, the Penguins are indeed a year older, and their opponents are succeeding in getting younger. And better.
In the past few years, the Washington Capitals have said goodbye to Nick Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, John Carlsson, and assorted core players.
The Philadelphia Flyers didn’t have to say goodbye to too many talented players, quite frankly, because they didn’t have them, but they chopped the fat anyway and stand on the precipice of becoming a long-term playoff contender as their young players, such as Porter Martone, mature. And two of the top nine New Jersey Devils forwards are 25 and under.
Need we go on? Even if the Penguins wanted, could they ice a lineup in which five of their top nine players are 25 or under?
Thus far, the Penguins have Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov. Perhaps Nick Robertson will make three, but none of the Penguins’ top six are even under 30.
In fact, they’re not even under 33. Even Koivunen and his eight-year contract appear headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
With respect, that’s not how this is supposed to work. Trades?
It has seemed like the watched pot wouldn’t boil. Throughout the warm offseason, there was an anticipation, if not an expectation, of some trades, departures, and a reformatting of the older Penguins.
But hours before it’s go time, there have been no significant moves. Certainly none that have served youth.
The team said goodbye to 33-year-old Anthony Mantha on July 1, but signed 30-year-old Andrei Kuzmenko, and added to their birth certificate advantages when they signed 35-year-old defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. So much for a youth movement?
So the stinging question that must be asked of both new Penguins owner Geoff Hoffman and Dubas is: What is the plan to get from this era to the next? It no longer seems there is an undercurrent of development, as very few of the prospects have a path to the NHL club.
Dubas gave Philip Tomasino a lengthy runway in 2024-25 and was happy to extend Tommy Novak in the middle of the lineup for 2025-26 and beyond, but the team is currently blocking Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, and Owen Pickering from active NHL duty. The team is also blocking Ben Kindel from scoring line duty and significant power-play time.
Not even Egor Chinakhov and his 90 mph wrister might see top power-play time. Of course, for months there has been talk, even public admissions, that trades were sought.
But here we are on the verge of camp, and the logjam still looks like the Parkway East at 5 p.m. on Friday.
So, what exactly is the plan?
