A lot can change quickly for the picture of building the NHL roster. Take a look at the last 48 hours, where Blake Lizotte was announced as being out on a week-to-week basis, and Ben Kindel got injured during the preseason game with a day-to-day designation. Add in more injuries to Ville Koivunen and Justin Brazeau (both also day-to-day) and there’s not as much clarity coming into focus as much have been expected nearly one week into camp.
Let’s take a quick glance at how it looks like players fighting for spots might be at the moment. As of now, the exhibition games are 50% completed and all the forwards competing for 1-3 spots (though it would be four if Lizotte heads to IR for the start of the regular season) have played one game. It’s just a baseline temperature check for now as for who is perceived to be moving in the right direction and what cases are not launching so cleanly. The upcoming days could always throw major new developments and changes into the picture in a hurry.
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Hendrix Lapierre – Lapierre was named the third star of the game on Monday. In a world where the Penguins have lost two centers this week (Kindel and Lizotte) to injury, Lapierre has looked the part of a capable lower-line fill-in. He’s a good skater and can make things happen in the offensive zone. He was pretty good in the faceoff circle. It’s early but he had a nice night for himself and other circumstances seem to be breaking in his favor – he found power play time during the game because of Kindel’s injury, then made the most of it getting an assist there. Opportunity knocking is one thing, making the most of it is another and right now it looks like Lapierre is starting to make good on the chances afforded. If Lizotte can’t be back in time for the regular season opener, the path is wide open right now for Lapierre to claim a spot in the lineup. At worst, he’s trending towards sticking with the NHL club.
Avery Hayes — Hayes has been coming from way in the back of the field, considering he’s mostly skated in practices with AHL caliber players and been something of an afterthought in a very stacked field. (Which, hey, someone has to be towards the back of a long pack). But seemingly every time Hayes plays, he makes something good happen, highlighted by creating a turnover and scoring a goal just before time expired in the second period in Monday’s game against Buffalo. Hayes usually leaves a lasting positive impression, it’s just a matter of how much opportunity he will get considering how many wingers the team has to sort through. His stock being up might not even have him on the verge of finding a roster spot but it hasn’t deterred him from standing out.
Elmer Soderblom – Soderblom went from the doghouse (misreading the schedule and showing up late on the first day of camp) to the penthouse of playing in key spots in the first preseason game in no-time flat. His physicality and mobility are very evident. He looks like a guy that is going to help an NHL team with his reach, length, skating ability to go along with the willingness to throw his body around.
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Fillip Hallander – Hallander had five shots on goal in the game he played on Monday, probably should have scored one on a clean rush attempt. He does a lot of the little things right around the rink, knocking pucks free and staying on the right side of the action. So far he’s doing as expected to make his case back into the NHL, he’s an honest player that will be in the right spot at generally the right time. The injury situation is working in his favor much like last year when Hallander made the opening night roster in large part because Bryan Rust and Kevin Hayes opened the season on IR.
Stock middling or down
Tristan Broz – Broz was one of the stars of the 2025 training camp, so far he’s just kind of been present this year. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but you have to figure that he needs to elevate in order to make headway and jump the players with more experience and more established contracts to make the team. The tie isn’t going to go to the player like Broz that doesn’t need waivers to be sent to the AHL. And I’m not sure Broz has even come close to forcing the issue, to this point. Younger players are supposed to make it hard (if not impossible) to send them down. So far, I don’t think you can say Broz has done that.
Justin Brazeau – Brazeau endured a leg injury on Monday, so it’s reasonable not to get too down on him now, but even before that it looked like he’s barely keeping up with his teammates. Players and coaches say the league gets a little faster every year, it doesn’t look like Brazeau has kept up. Will his hands and scoring touch make up for the fact he’s the least mobile player in the competition? Especially now with a lower body currently less than 100%, it’s an area worth watching to see how quickly he returns to the ice and can try to secure a roster spot.
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Ville Koivunen – It’s not Koivunen’s fault he got hit in the face and couldn’t play in his scheduled preseason game last night, but it certainly doesn’t help his cause to miss time in a quick preseason. Can’t make the club from the tub, and all that. This was going to be a massive camp for him to show his stuff and he can’t afford to miss much more time. Even prior to the injury, things were not trending in the right direction – Koivunen started camp on the first day playing with two surefire NHLers (Andrei Kuzmenko and Ben Kindel). By the third practice, he was playing with fourth liner Blake Lizotte and probable AHLer Rutger McGroarty. That may or may not be indicative of Koivunen’s performance but he wasn’t moving in the right direction prior to the injury that at the very least steals some time away from him at a critical juncture to find a niche.
Rutger McGroarty – It would be difficult to make a move for a player like McGroarty who is younger (22) than everyone on the list. So far, he hasn’t received a great opportunity to do so. Like Koivunen, McGroarty opened camp on a practice line with two NHL players (Lizotte and Bryan Rust). By last night’s preseason game, he was skating with future AHL players (Bill Zonnon and Atley Calvert). It’s not going to be the end of the world for McGroarty to go to the AHL and try to work his way up with a mid-season call-up but it sure looks like his path to making the NHL club out of camp is narrow to the point of barely being visible right now.
Projected lineup as of today
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel* – Bryan Rust
Connor Dewar – Hendrix Lapierre – Elmer Soderblom
Extras: Filip Hallander, Blake Lizotte (injured)
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Bubble: Justin Brazeau, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Ville Koivunen
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Kindel and Lizotte’s status for opening night could change the picture, placing Lizotte on IR would mean keeping one more bubble player. We’re projecting as a day-to-day that Kindel won’t miss the games that count, which obviously isn’t a known guarantee in this moment that would further shake up the picture.
There’s still another week for the bubble players to work their way up, and as seen already in camp, things can change on a dime with an injury or change in placement of the lines. Today’s outlook doesn’t always hold up for those future developments as the Pens enter the final week of camp before the opener on the 30th.
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