Kyle Dubas reveals frightening details of Ben Kindel's medical scare on Penguins flight
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Penguins forward Ben Kindel collapsed on a team flight from Salt Lake City with a vasovagal episode and will go on injured reserve, Kyle Dubas said.
Ben Kindel is back in Pittsburgh after a frightening scare on the team plane, and the Penguins are placing the young center on injured reserve while he goes through more testing.
General manager Kyle Dubas gave the update Thursday morning, ahead of Pittsburgh's home game against the Florida Panthers.
Dubas said Kindel collapsed about 10 minutes into Tuesday's flight home from Salt Lake City.
The team diagnosed it as a vasovagal episode, a sudden faint caused by a drop in heart rate and blood pressure.
What happened on the flight
Kindel was given oxygen and regained consciousness, and the decision was made to land the plane back in Salt Lake City.
An ambulance then took the 19-year-old to University of Utah Hospital, and the Penguins said he was conscious, alert and stable.
He was cleared Wednesday to travel back to Pittsburgh and returned to the team's facility Thursday for treatment and further testing.
Dubas said the organization will take a strict, careful approach to his return to training and play, with his long-term health as the top concern.
"On Tuesday, about 10 minutes into the team's return flight from Salt Lake City to Pittsburgh, Ben [Kindel] collapsed on the team plane in what has been diagnosed as a vasovagal episode.”
“Ben was given oxygen on the flight, regained consciousness and the determination was that the flight needed to be landed back in Salt Lake City.”
“Ben was cleared yesterday to travel back to Pittsburgh. He is back in the building for treatment and further testing today. We'll place him on injured reserve, and we will obviously follow very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play for Ben. That's our primary goal and paramount to his future and health."
- Kyle Dubas
“Ben was given oxygen on the flight, regained consciousness and the determination was that the flight needed to be landed back in Salt Lake City.”
“Ben was cleared yesterday to travel back to Pittsburgh. He is back in the building for treatment and further testing today. We'll place him on injured reserve, and we will obviously follow very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play for Ben. That's our primary goal and paramount to his future and health."
- Kyle Dubas
Tough stretch in Pittsburgh
The timing is rough for a Penguins team that has lost four games in a row, including a 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Monday, when Kindel played just under 19 minutes.
The sophomore has two goals and two assists in nine games this season, following a rookie year with 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games.
Kindel was the 11th overall pick in 2025 and finished ninth in Calder Trophy voting.
No return timeline has been shared yet, and the Penguins have asked for privacy for Kindel and his family.
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