Matt Grzelcyk immediately impacted the Pittsburgh Penguins’ blue line after he joined on a one-year deal this past offseason. Kyle Dubas is in the difficult spot of trying to keep the team in contention to do right by the veteran core, but also plan for the future. Grzelcyk was the perfect player to bridge that gap, and Dubas couldn’t have predicted a career year in points. Grzelcyk already accomplished that feat with 31 points in 66 games, putting him on pace for 38, 12 better than his previous career high.
Dubas was familiar with Grzelcyk’s work, seeing it plenty when he patrolled the Boston Bruins’ blueline. Grzelcyk had some good moments with the Bruins, especially against Dubas’ Toronto Maple Leafs, but he eventually fell behind on the depth chart. His lack of physicality became an issue for the Bruins, which led to him being a healthy scratch in the postseason. Grzelcyk was able to succeed during the regular season, but he didn’t fit in the Bruins’ system during the playoffs.
Grzlecyk was a player who felt the effects of the heavier game in the postseason. He suffered some nagging injuries in those grueling playoff series, and it became too much of a risk to keep rolling him out against forechecking teams like the Florida Panthers. Grzelcyk was a perfect Bruin, growing up in the Garden as his dad worked as a member of the arena’s Bull Gang. He was a homegrown fan favorite, but all feel-good stories have an expiry date.
The Bruins’ loss is the Penguins’ gain. He fits into their system and is the team’s best offensive defenseman on the left side. He has plenty of value for the Penguins as long as they are contending, but the question is if he’ll stick around for a rebuild.
Matt Grzelcyk finally has a fit and an opportunity with Penguins
Many asked when the Penguins signed Grzelcyk if they had too many offensive-minded defensemen. Pittsburgh already has Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang on the right side, but they didn’t have many offensive-minded left-hand shots. It seemed like there wouldn’t be enough offense to go around for Grzelcyk, but that is far from the truth.
Grzelcyk’s career-high in points isn’t surprising for anyone who watched him with the Bruins. The ceiling was always there for him, but he didn’t always get the best opportunities. Grzelcyk’s early Bruins career had him chasing Torey Krug on the depth chart as the team’s top offensive option, which led to the Charlie McAvoy era. Just as Grzelcyk thought he’d move into the key role, he got pushed back again by McAvoy, followed by the addition of Hampus Lindholm.
Regardless, Grzelcyk still found success. He tallied 26 points in 2022-23, a then career-high. He also recorded a +46, second in the league to his teammate Lindholm. Bruins fans always viewed Grzelcyk’s descent on the depth chart as an unfortunate combination of better arrivals and inopportune injuries.
The good news for Grzelcyk is that he has found a spot where he has some value, and it’d be hard to let that slip away. Grzelcyk should be eager to sign on the dotted line and continue his career in Pittsburgh as long as they plan to contend. It’s hard to see them pulling the chute until Sidney Crosby retires, and that reality should still be a couple of years away.
If you ask Grzelcyk, nothing will ever feel as at home as Boston. However, Pittsburgh seems like the next best thing.
Pittsburgh’s blueline isn’t deep
Dubas and the rest of the front office will soon have to start looking into the future, and it isn’t the brightest on the blueline. Karlsson and Letang have two and three years left on their deals, but they aren’t getting any younger, and it wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see one of them moved. Ryan Graves also has some term but isn’t an offensive threat. The same goes for 21-year-old Owen Pickering, who will be a stud for the Penguins but isn’t the offensive player that Grzelcyk is.
Harrison Brunicke is one name in the pipeline, but he isn’t an offensive dynamo. There are also some concerns about his injuries, and it looks like he is still a few years away from making a real impact at the NHL level. This leaves Grzelcyk as the one player who could run the Penguins’ powerplay and be their offense from the blueline for the next five to six years.
The Penguins found a diamond in the rough with Matt Grzelcyk, and even though he’s on the wrong side of 30, Dubas should hold him close until injuries take a toll or he starts to decline.
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