The Penguins came into this season with the plan of occasionally scratching Ben Kindel to give him the rest he presumably would need, as he acclimates to both the rigors of playing against grown men and an 82-game schedule for the first time — one that’s even more condensed than usual because of the Olympic break.

That plan lasted for all of three scratches. Kindel just didn’t need the breaks. And now that he’s about to get a couple of weeks rest for the Olympic break? He’s already looking forward to it being over.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice, but I like playing games,” Kindel told me of the upcoming break. “It’ll be fun to get back when the break’s over.”

Kindel has skated in 53 games already this season. He played in 65 regular-season games last year, plus another five for the U18 World Championship and another 11 in the WHL playoffs — not far off from an 82-game season. I asked him how he feels physically compared to this point in a typical junior season, and he shrugged it off.

“I wouldn’t say it’s any difference,” he said. “It feels very similar up to this point. We played a lot of games last year, as well as the last couple years. It’s just trying to manage your body, manage your recovery, rest, all those things.”

MORE PENGUINS 

• Rickard Rakell missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury, but he’s been a little banged up for a few weeks now and has been wrapping up his hip with tape for practices. — Taylor Haase in Downtown

• Stuart Skinner spent some time over the summer working with Adam Francilia, a Kelowna, B.C.-based trainer who specializes in goalie biomechanics. Skinner’s worked with Francilla before, but this offseason he spent a full month in Kelowna with Francilia, whose clients include Connor Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy. — Taylor Haase

• Erik Karlsson really, really didn’t like the way Mike Sullivan wanted him to play when he was coach. But Karlsson felt like as a new guy coming in, he wasn’t in a position to push back too much. He’s a big fan of Dan Muse, to say the least. — Taylor Haase

• Spoke with someone in Vancouver who has access to a lot of the NHL’s advanced data that goes beyond straight shot attempts, and they were surprised that Arturs Silovs is struggling in shootouts, because his results on breakaway saves are actually very good. — Taylor Haase

• Some of Ryan Shea’s teammates really think he’s looked significantly better on the right side and don’t expect him to go back to playing on the left anytime soon. — Taylor Haase

• Odd that Egor Chinakhov hasn’t been used in overtime yet. I’ve seen fans speculate that maybe the team thinks his defensive game isn’t strong enough for three-on-three, but his defensive game is something that the coaches and staff like the most about him. — Taylor Haase

• I saw some people speculating at the time that Ryan Graves going on IR was roster shenanigans to free up a spot — he was legitimately hurt and my sense was that it was something he has been dealing with before that last game he played in Calgary. I’m not so sure he’s 100% yet and could probably benefit from the break. — Taylor Haase

• Eddie Johnston is usually a mainstay in the Penguins’ press box — always with chocolate chip cookies and paper for him to take notes — but has been absent for a little while now while he recovers from an injury. Send good thoughts his way. Those close to him are pushing him to return for at least the playoffs as a goal — so the Penguins better do their part and get there, too. — Taylor Haase

STEELERS

• Mike McCarthy has done a lot of leg work to fill out his staff, and he’s not done. There are more hires coming, including a couple in the strength and conditioning department and at least two more on the offensive side of the ball. When these hires are made official, McCarthy’s staff will exceed the number 18, surpassing the size of Mike Tomlin’s staff in 2025.

I’ve been under the impression since before McCarthy was hired that the new head coach was going to hire a larger staff that Tomlin’s. That feeling began when I learned all coaches currently under contract were informed they could seek jobs elsewhere, meaning there was a good chance the staff would be largely overhauled. That’s been the case so far, as only Scott McCurley and Tom Arth have been retained.

My suspicion was confirmed recently, that McCarthy was given the go ahead to hire a larger staff and was not nudged by ownership to keep a large number of the coaches that were still under contract. This also confirmed my suspicion that Tomlin having a smaller staff was more of his preference rather than ownership pinching pennies. — Chris Halicke in Downtown

• If it’s not obvious enough to everyone by now, Dan Rooney — son of Art Rooney II and in line to succeed him — is taking on a larger role in the organization. I don’t expect his title to change, but this has been in motion since before the head coaching search. It kicked into high gear last year as he was front and center throughout the Steelers’ time in Dublin, Ireland, and was taken to another level recently as Rooney was included in the interviews for the head coaching candidates. Expect him to be more involved moving forward, though it’s not clear yet by exactly how much. His primary job is still on the business side of things. For example, during the upcoming NFL Draft, I expect him to be handling more of the spectacle on the North Shore rather than being in the room with his father, McCarthy and Omar Khan making decisions on draft selections. However, the process of getting him more involved in key organizational decisions is already underway. — Chris Halicke

• Preparation is already underway for how to attack free agency and trades. Unfortunately, I’m still in the process of gathering information to see what positions will be prioritized. That’ll be coming in a couple weeks when I go to Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine. Not only will I have the ability to run into many people within the organization, but I will also be running into agents, getting multiple perspectives on how the Steelers plan to use the estimate of $45 million in cap space when free agency begins March 9. — Chris Halicke

• One thing I’ve heard some rumblings on: Just as the coaching staff has been overhauled, I expect the roster to see quite a bit of change throughout the offseason. That could include a few bigger names being either released or traded. It’s difficult to get specific on this right now. Those inside the organization aren’t about to tip their hand on what they plan to do, but I’ve at least been told to expect another offseason that sees quite a bit of roster turnover. — Chris Halicke

• DeShon Elliott incorporates a strength-based Pilates-like workout into his training regimen, which is interesting for a football player. Can confirm he takes all the amplifications in classes and one-ups everyone. — Taylor Haase

PIRATES

• Braxton Ashcraft recalls a two-year-old conversation he had with Ben Cherington in which he expressed his desire to fill any available role in hopes of achieving his big-league aspirations.

Ashcraft didn’t care what it took. He was willing to fight for an opportunity to help the Pirates win games. Last year, he did just that, and while he didn’t earn a spot on the opening day roster, he eventually thrived in every role, whether he was coming out of the bullpen or tasked with being a part of the starting rotation. 

This year wasn’t going to be any different. He was content with the thought of having to battle for a spot in the rotation with the likes of Bubba Chandler, Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo. But now, with the latter two being traded in separate deals to bring in bats this winter, Ashcraft seemingly has a clearer path to a starting role. 

“I don’t think that any of us were looking at each other, trying to take anybody else’s job,” Ashcraft said at PiratesFest. “You want your job and it sucks that it’s, at times, at the expense of somebody else’s job, but that’s the game that we play. This is a tough game and if you don’t perform, you get replaced. Looking at them and the opportunities they’re going to get in their respective organizations, I’m excited for them and looking forward to seeing them compete, competing against them when we go to Houston and Boston. When we go there, I’m excited to see those guys, have a conversation with them and catch up, kind of pick their brains about the information their getting in terms of how they utilize their arsenals with fresh arms on them. I think that’s a cool opportunity to be able to have friends in different organizations with different mindsets. For me and Mike, we move pretty similarly and our pitch profile is semi-similar. We’ve always kind’ve picked each other’s brains and learned from each other. Me probably more from him than he has from me.” — José Negron in Downtown

• Even after adding some pitching depth with the minor-league signing of Mike Clevinger and the one-year deal given to José Urquidy, it seems inevitable that the Pirates will acquire another option for a starting rotation that will be without Jared Jones to start the season. It’s just a matter of when they make something legitimate happen. 

Cherington has never really given a timeline in regards to the team’s moves this winter and perhaps it wouldn’t be a surprise if a true candidate for that No. 5 spot in the rotation isn’t signed until after pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton, Fla. for spring training next week. 

That’s how it went when Andrew Heaney signed his one-year deal with the team last spring. That was even the case two years ago when Domingo German and Michael A. Taylor were signed in the midst of spring games. 

There are options — José Quintana and Tyler Anderson, for example — still on the table, so maybe this process will drag out a little bit longer, especially given the still-existing need for at least one more offensive addition. — José Negron

• For those who might be wondering if Jones has any intentions of expanding his arsenal upon his return to a major-league mound in 2026, the answer, for now at least, is a no. 

“We’re going to start with the stock,” Jones said at PiratesFest. “The stuff I was using in ’24, probably use again.”

There has been a belief in the past that Jones should add to his repertoire, even by the man himself, in an effort to become less predictable. He leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball (49.2%) and slider (34.9%) in 2024, while turning to his curveball and changeup less than 10% each. 

Last offseason, Jones worked on adding a two-seamer in search of something that runs horizontally. He had some time to experiment with it last spring, but his elbow injury hindered the process, thus leaving him in a spot now where he’ll aim to focus on increasing his velocity while utilizing the weapons he already has in his back pocket. — José Negron

• Even after a second elbow surgery in two years, Endy Rodriguez still has his sights set on remaining a catcher with the ability to also factor into the discussion at first base. 

But that doesn’t mean he’s going to be limited to those two positions, or the equipment necessary to play in other spots, as he prepares for workouts to get underway at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. 

“Hopefully for spring training I have everything,” he said in regard to the different gloves he’ll bring with him to Florida. “Infield, outfield, whatever they need, I’m going to be there.” — José Negron

• Rodriguez admits that it’s been tough having to once again be in a position where he’s recovering from a surgical procedure. He said he feels like he’s just run into some “bad luck” and is working to get healthier than he ever has been before. 

“It’s been pretty healthy, let’s start with that, and mentally been pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “Just always gonna have (my mental). Control what you can control and I can control my mental. So I’m always 100% mentally. So I’m good with that.” — José Negron

• Consider Oneil Cruz excited to have Gregory Soto on the roster for the 2026 season. The two first met during a players meeting in Miami back when Soto was playing for the Tigers. They connected back then and have been tight ever since, forming a “really good” relationship. They’ll now be teammates on the Pirates and in the upcoming World Baseball Classic for Team Dominican Republic — José Negron