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Charlestown’s Matt Grzelcyk hoping this isn’t his swan song with Bruins
"Being a Bruin, I don't take that lightly and it means the world to me."
Like many others in the Bruins’ dressing room, the first week of March dragged to a crawl for Matt Grzelcyk.
For any NHLer not coated in no-trade protection, the days leading up to the league’s trade deadline usually prompt sticks to be gripped a little tighter and players to dread the buzz of an unexpected phone call.
Operating on an expiring contract, Grzelcyk is well aware of the nature of the business.
But for all of the expected anxiety that creeps into players’ psyche this time of year, the 30-year-old defenseman still found himself in a much better space than at the start of the 2023-24 season — when the dread drawn up by an uncertain future was at an all-time high.
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With unrestricted free agency fixed the horizon for Grzelcyk, the Charlestown native’s future with his hometown team is far from guaranteed. But for now, the puck-moving skater is trying to stay grounded and avoid dwelling on a murky future with the only NHL team he’s ever played for.
“Honestly, I was probably more nervous about it before the year,” Grzelcyk told Boston.com on Monday. “I didn’t know how it was gonna play out. I’ve never been in this situation before — just to not really know what’s going to happen next year. I guess you never really know, anything could happen, but just knowing this could be my last year, I would say I was a little bit anxious to see how it’s gonna play out. But since the season started, honestly, I haven’t really given it too much thought.
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“When the deadline comes, yeah, that definitely creates a little bit of anxiety for me, personally. But no, it’s been it’s been pretty easy. Each and every game we go over our process … you just think about those areas and just treat each game where I’m not trying to get too far ahead. It hasn’t really been too bad this year.”
For years, the Boston University product thrived as a key cog on Boston’s blue line — first flourishing under Bruce Cassidy’s up-tempo transition system and carving out a set role next to his fellow Terrier, Charlie McAvoy, over the years.
When the Bruins handed Grzelcyk a four-year, $14.75 million contract extension in October 2020, it was viewed as a no-brainer — given the video-game numbers that Boston’s top D pairing generated together.
A player like McAvoy can anchor a pairing on his own thanks to his coveted blend of puck-moving prowess, physicality, sturdy D-zone fortitude, and playmaking capabilities.
But a crisp transition player like Grzelcyk has usually served as a perfect partner for McAvoy — with his split-second processing and quick feet often creating easy D-zone exits and easing some of the heavy lifting asked of McAvoy during draining shifts.
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Over the previous four seasons (2019-23), a Grzelcyk-McAvoy pairing logged a combined 1,562 minutes of 5v5 ice time over 233 games, per Natural Stat Trick. During that extended stretch of action, the Bruins held commanding leads in:
Shots on goal: 974-615
Goals scored: 94-41
High-danger scoring chances: 328-224
“I think just reading well off each other,” Grzelcyk said of complementing McAvoy on the ice. “We obviously have some chemistry but I think when we’re both having an aggressive mindset, not overly aggressive. … Just kind of reading off each other’s body language and I think we use each other well coming out of the zone.”
Over 489:46 of 5-on-5 ice time this season, the Bruins have outscored teams, 19-12, during the Grzelcyk-McAvoy pair’s reps.
But their knack for suppressing shots and tilting the ice in Boston’s favor has waned this year.
In those 489 minutes, the Bruins have been outshot, 274-241, and have relinquished 113 high-danger scoring chances while generating 111 of their own.
Grzelcyk has dealt with several injuries this season, including a stint on long-term injured reserve in November due to an upper-body injury.
Jim Montgomery has found stronger returns as of late with that top pairing — a good sign with the playoffs just a month away.
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“Last year, they were very dominant, right? Statistically and to the eye,” Montgomery noted. “And I think that now you’re seeing it again. They’re not spending much time in their own end, they’re attacking middle ice where it doesn’t matter who has the puck.
“I encourage Grizzy as much as possible to attack middle ice from the D-zone and neutral zone because he makes really good decisions. And when he’s moving his feet offensively and defensively, he’s really good.”
A strong showing from Grzelcyk in the postseason might offer more clarity on his future — be it with Boston or elsewhere in 2024-25 and beyond.
Even though the Bruins value Grzelcyk’s unique skillset, Boston does have options this offseason when it comes to adding more to the left side of its defense.
The Bruins are expected to have more than $20 million in cap space this offseason, which could be used to upgrade that area of the depth chart if a top-four fixture like Noah Hanifin hits the market. Mason Lohrei could also be in line for a featured role after showcasing his playmaking talent this winter.
For Grzelcyk, staying in Boston remains the priority — much as it’s been throughout his hockey career.
But Grzelcyk is well aware that some of those wishes might be out of his control going into an uncertain summer.
“Can’t say enough good things about just the organization and everyone who we get to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” Grzelcyk said of playing for the Bruins. “ I think that’s probably what you would miss most and something that I’ve been really spoiled with since I turned pro. So you wouldn’t want to give that up for anything.
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“Being a Bruin, I don’t take that lightly and it means the world to me. Obviously, I hope that it works out, but you never know what the future is gonna hold. Right now, the only thing I can control is how I play on the ice. If you spend too much time worrying about all that, then it’s probably going to deteriorate your play on the ice a little bit. So I’m just focused on just trying to play well here going into playoffs and whatever happens, happens.”
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