Penguins' Ben Kindel's status gets updated just nine days after collapsing on team plane

Ben Kindel is officially back. The Pittsburgh Penguins activated the 19-year-old center off injured reserve on Thursday, just nine days after he fainted on the team plane flying home from Utah.

Head coach Dan Muse says he expects Kindel in the lineup tonight when Pittsburgh hosts the Utah Mammoth.

It's a huge relief to see this kind of turnaround.

Kindel played 18:53 in a 5-4 loss to the Mammoth on Monday, Oct. 19, before the team boarded its flight home.

The scare came on Tuesday, Oct. 20, about 10 minutes after takeoff from Salt Lake City.

The plane turned back to the airport, team medical staff tended to him, and Kindel was taken to University of Utah Hospital for observation.

He was cleared to return to Pittsburgh the next day.

General manager Kyle Dubas later described it as a vasovagal episode, which is a fainting spell.

Kindel went on injured reserve Oct. 22, and the team promised a careful, strict plan for his return.

He got back on the ice at practice on Tuesday, skating on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov.

Kindel was a bright spot as a rookie last season, putting up 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games after Pittsburgh took him 11th overall in 2025.

With the Penguins working through a long injury list, getting a skilled young center back gives Muse another option up the middle.

Kindel himself said he feels normal again just being back around his teammates, and that matters most.

Pittsburgh drops the puck against Utah tonight, and all eyes will be on number 81.

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