First, it was Harrison Brunicke in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

And, on Thursday, it will be Ben Kindel in the second game of a three-game Western road trip against the Los Angeles Kings.

After Thursday's morning skate, Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Dan Muse announced that Kindel - like Brunicke on Tuesday - would be held out of the lineup for reasons related to his "development plan."

“He’s going to follow a similar plan as Harrison Brunicke," Muse said. "This is what we feel is best for him now and in the future.”

And as far as that "development plan"? This is what Muse had to say Tuesday ahead of Brunicke's scratch from the lineup:

"I think with Brunicke - and the same thing could be said and will be said for Kindel - these are young players. We're looking at what's best for them now, but also, for them to continue to grow throughout the course of the season. So, there will be times throughout the start there, where they're coming out of the lineup, and this is all part of a plan for them. 
"[Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas], along with [Penguins' Director of Performance] Rich Rotenberg... they have experience with this coming from their time in Toronto. There's been a lot of discussions with them and with the rest of the staff in terms of what's going to be best for these younger players, guys that are in their teens coming into this league.
"And, so, there's a plan in place for them that we have, and the purpose for this plan is to ensure that they continue to get strong, that they continue to grow, and we're putting them in the best position for them. They're in a different situation just because of their age. It's something I strongly agree with, and I've learned some lessons myself just with my time wokring with younger players. And, so, there is a reasoning behind this."

- - Penguins' head coach Dan Muse Top Prospect Will Be Out Of Lineup In Anaheim For 'Development Plan' It appears that one of the top prospects for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will see his first game as a healthy scratch Tuesday.

Yes, the kids may be getting healthy-scratched despite their relatively high level of play so far in the young season. But - if we're reading into this at all - this could be a good thing for both of the Penguins' top teenage prospects. 

Right now, both Brunicke, 19, and Kindel, 18, are in the midst of what is commonly referred to as their "nine-game trials." Essentially, both players can play in nine NHL games before the first year of their respective three-year entry-level contracts kick in at 10 games. If they are optioned back to their junior teams - in Kindel's case, the Calgary Hitmen, and in Brunicke's case, the Kamloops Blazers, both of the Western Hockey League (WHL) - prior to the 10th game, their contracts do not kick in this season.

They can be optioned back to juniors at any point this season, but once they are optioned, they are not eligible to return until the conclusion of their respective junior seasons - which makes for some tough decisions by management, as both players are playing well.

It's Only Been Three Games. But Kindel And Brunicke Should Be In Pittsburgh To Stay. Going into <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' training camp this season, it's safe to say that most folks did not have 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel making the NHL roster out of the gate.

But the fact that the young defenseman and the even younger forward are being put on season-long development plans may actually be an indication that the Penguins do not intend on sending them back to juniors before the 10-game mark, barring any major regression in play from either of them. If the team just let them burn through the nine games, it would be a different story. 

The fact that they're trying to manage their minutes and workload this early on - Kindel (11th overall in 2025) has never played in more than 65 games in one season, while Brunicke (44th overall in 2024) has not played in more than 59 games due to injury - shows that the organization cares about making sure the young players are not burdened with the gruel and grind of a full 82-game NHL season against grown men right from the jump.

Of course, only time will tell whether or not this is the case, and it's safe to say that the coming days and weeks will be crucial for Brunicke and Kindel as far as performance and continuing to prove they belong. But, in the immediacy, this appears to be a good sign that the kids may just be here to stay.

Penguins At Kings Preview: Penguins Looking To Snap Two-Game Losing Streak The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to snap their two-game losing streak on Thursday night.

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