Boston Bruins: What is Matt Grzelcyk’s ceiling?
Matt Grzelcyk finds himself on the third defense pair, but he can be much more for the Bruins. They need him now more than ever.
The Boston Bruins again are one of the NHL’s premier teams, and depth on defense is a big reason why. There’s so much depth, in fact, that Matt Grzelcyk finds himself on the third pairing.
Is Grzelcyk really a third-pair defenseman? Or does he project to be much more?
The Bruins drafted Grzelcyk in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft. After a few years at Boston University, Grzelcyk started his professional career in Providence. There, he played 84 games in parts of two seasons before he made the permanent jump to Boston in the 2017-2018 season.
Grzelcyk played 61 regular season and 11 playoff games that season. He proved that he was a more-than-serviceable NHL defenseman, so he entered the next season with a certain spot in Boston’s lineup.
With all that experience under his belt, Grzelcyk really broke out in the 2018-2019 season.
He finished with more hits, takeaways, and blocks than the year before, and he also had three more points. More importantly, Grzelcyk saw his average ice time jump from 16:44 to 19:08.
Then, Grzelcyk followed up his regular season with a strong effort in the playoffs. He played the first 19 games for Boston, until he missed five in the Cup Final with a concussion. He made it back for the seventh game, but Grzelcyk clearly wasn’t himself.
Honestly, if Grzelcyk was healthy for the entire series, the Bruins probably come out on top. John Moore played decently in Grzelcyk’s place, but he couldn’t make up the difference.
This year, Grzelcyk got off to a slow start. He only has two assists in 12 games, and his average time on ice is 17:13. He did, however, seem to elevate his game last weekend, so we’ll see if this carries over to the next set of games.
With all that said, Grzelcyk remains an important piece of Boston’s backend, now and in the future.
Why the Bruins need Grzelcyk to step up now and next season
Grzelcyk an elite skater who can keep up with even the speediest of forwards. He also is capable in his defensive zone, as he usually takes care of the puck and avoid turnovers.
Although he doesn’t put up a lot of points, Grzelcyk can provide some offense. He can lead breakouts out of the defensive zones with quick, on-time passes to his forwards. And, Grzelcyk isn’t afraid to jump into the rush.
Based on everything we’ve seen with Grzelcyk so far, he looks like a top-four defenseman who can skate and move the puck. His current spot on the third pair with Connor Clifton is more the result of Boston’s defensive depth than anything else.
He may be on the third pair now, but Grzelcyk figures to be a bigger piece of Boston’s defense in the next few years.
Look at the two defensemen above Grzelcyk on the depth chart. Zdeno Chara‘s on the top pair, and he continues to defy father time with strong play at age 42. Chara is only on a one-year deal, and given his age, this could be his last season.
Then there’s Torey Krug, who’s on the second defense pair and the top power play unit. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He and the team both expressed interest in a new contract, but until he signs that new deal, we can’t fully count on Krug next season.
Grzelcyk too isn’t signed for next season, but he’ll be a restricted free agent for Boston. That means he’s the only left-shot defenseman on the roster who is under team control for next season.
With Chara’s possible retirement and Krug’s looming free agency, the Bruins will need Grzelcyk more than ever next season. Even with prospects like Urho Vaakanainen and Jeremy Lauzon in the pipeline, Grzelcyk figures to be a big part of Boston’s defense for 2020 and beyond.
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We saw Grzelcyk really elevate his game last year and show that he fits in a top-four role. He’ll need to continue this development to add much-needed consistency and structure to Boston’s defense.