Pittsburgh Penguins see Ben Kindel return to practice amid injury concerns

Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel has returned to practice following a medical incident on a team flight. Kindel experienced a vasovagal episode that caused a brief loss of consciousness shortly after takeoff from Salt Lake City. He was treated by team physicians and evaluated at the University of Utah Medical Center before returning home.

The Penguins are currently managing several roster health issues. Veteran winger Bryan Rust is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. Egor Chinakhov is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, though he has recently returned to practice. Additionally, winger Elmer Soderblom is out with an upper-body injury, and Evgeni Malkin recently missed a game due to illness.