Kindl is a reasonable bottom pairing/limited minute defenseman. He's just a bit overpaid for what he brings (but it's far from a disastrous contract).
Decent puck movement, generates a decent amount of offense.
Decent defense, limits mistakes as long as he's not overmatched.
Sustains good possession in a sheltered role.
What keeps him from becoming better is his lack of will to compete or engage physically.
Also, stop trying to use him on the PP.
Not really a lost cause. Just a disappointment.
It's not just that he's overpaid, it's that he's overpaid with term and it appears to be impossible to move him unless we're just ditching him through waivers. Which we also seem unwilling to do, for some odd reason. If Kindl was making half what he makes, or didn't have more years left on his deal, we would have probably moved on and used that roster space to get another kid a look, which would be a wash at this point.