Matt Grzelcyk has to be protected by the Boston Bruins come expansion draft time.
With Seattle becoming the 32nd team in the league, teams are going to have to make some tough decisions on who to protect and who to leave for Seattle’s choosing, and the Boston Bruins are no exception.
But who should Boston protect? Well, there’s a few names but one that needs to be on that list is Matt Grzelcyk.
Grzelcyk has been one of those guys for Boston that has been quietly effective. You don’t ever really hear him talked about outside of Massachusetts but he has been a guy the team can rely on for the past few seasons.
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Grzelcyk has 60 blocked shots so far this season and has had 6 blocked shots in his past 5 games. He’s definitely been gaining more confidence as a defender and has been making moves both offensively and defensively as well. He has a career-high of 16 assists on the season and for a defender, that’s pretty good.
Grzelcyk also has barely been injured in the past few seasons and when other defenders go down he steps up. Grzelcyk plays amazingly while filling in for another defender who has gone down which is super valuable.
Especially if a guy like Torey Krug or Charlie McAvoy gets injured, the Bruins will need someone to step up big time and Grzelcyk is that guy in their lineup.
The fact that he can step up big time is also super crucial when it comes to playoffs. Playoff hockey is a lot different than regular season hockey.
Everything is amped; the crowds, the hits, the speed everything is amped and with amped hits comes more injuries which leaves teams needing other players to step up. Grzelcyk is the guy who steps up big time for the Bruins.
All in all, the team in black and gold need a guy like Grzelcyk in their lineup and they would be silly to leave him up for Seattle’s choosing.