We are over a month away from NHL players beginning to report for trainng camps in mid-September for the new 84-game 2026-27 season. Many rosters are not the final product, and some additions could be made. One of those teams is the Boston Bruins.
General manager Don Sweeney still needs a top-six center and a top-four right-shot defenseman if fans are going to feel like the Black and Gold are putting together a roster that will seriously compete for an NHL postseason berth this upcoming season. JJ Peterka has been a nice addition, but they still need more.
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There are a handful of former Bruins players who are still in need of a contract for the upcoming season, and they are waiting patiently for a team to come calling with an offer or a PTO option. One Black and Gold defenseman looking for a job is left-shot Matt Grzelcyk. Recently, he told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that the way the league is trending, but also how he can help one of the teams.
Former Bruins defenseman drops a subtle hint as to how he can help an NHL team in 2026-27
The Bruins are one team that is trending toward the new norm in the NHL, bigger and more physical defenseman, while trying to sprinkle in some puck-moving blueliners.
“The trend is kind of toward the bigger defenseman,” said Grzelcyk. “Someone who can skate and has a long stick … so the league’s all about trends, I feel. But as long as you can still skate and enough teams still need puck-moving … it’s more about finding the right spot and what makes sense. Hopefully, that will happen soon.”
If there is one thing that the Boston Bruins know about Grzelcyk, it's that he was one of their better puck-moving defenseman during his time playing for his hometown team. However, he had a career year after he left Boston and signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, when he had a career-high 39 assists in the 2024-25 season, playing in all 82 games. He also averaged a career-high 20:37 a game.
First off, Grzelcyk had trouble staying healthy for the Bruins during his time there, never playing in more than 75 games in a full season. This past season for the Chicago Blackhawks, he played in 69 games with 12 assists.
It would be rather surprising if Grzelvyk doesn't at least catch on with a team on PTO for training camp. Sure, the league is trending toward bigger and more physical defensemen, but there is always a need for a puck-moving defenseman who eats minutes. That is what Grzelcyk could do for a team.
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