It has a been a whirlwind few months for Pittsburgh Penguins' rookies Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke, and they have found themselves in the midst of a "nine-game trial" at the NHL level.

And - so far - both have passed with flying colors.

It remains to be seen what happens to each of them once the 10-game mark hits - Kindel has played in seven games, while Brunicke has played in six - but it may be a good sign that the Penguins already have each of them on a long-term "development plan" of sorts. This development plan was revealed by new head coach Dan Muse a little more than a week ago, when Brunicke was slated to be out of the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks after three games, and Kindel didn't play against the Los Angeles Kings two days later.

On "The GM Show" with Josh Getzoff this week, Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas clarified what this "development plan" will look like for the two Penguins' youngsters - and what to expect for the rest of the season.

"We've got them on what we would call a "developmental performance block-style" program, where we don't just want them to survive at this level," Dubas said. "We have a duty to continue to develop them. They're 18 and 19. So, there's a massive physical part of it. There's an on-ice part. And when you're playing every single night, you can't drain the players in the gym and then developmental sessions on the ice, and then not have them be at their best for the game.

"It's not that we're scratching them and saying, 'just watch from up top,' though there's value in that."

Dubas also said that there are a number of "threads" that the organization is keeping an eye on as they come up, with the first being the 10-game mark, where - if they each play their respective 10th games - the first year of their entry-level contracts will begin. 

He also mentioned World Juniors - which are in late December - as well as the 40-game mark, where the Penguins would lose a year of control and the players would get to unrestricted free agency one year sooner than they would otherwise. Dubas and his staff are weighing the pros and cons to keeping them versus sending them back in terms of what's best for their development.

"We're measuring all that, but both have helped the team win," Dubas said. "In both their cases, another part that's encouraging for us is when they haven't been at their best, or when they've come out and they've gone back in, they're played very well. 

"So, we will just continue to push them in that regard and be mindful of the other guys that we're trying to work in and continue to roll."

With Latest Win Against Defending Champs, Penguins Are Putting The League On Notice We are eight games into the 2025-26 season, and this <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' team is certainly no joke right now.

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