Before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent this month, Matt Grzelcyk had memorable connections with the team.
Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the third round (No. 85 overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft held at the Penguins’ then-named Consol Energy Center, Grzelcyk made his NHL debut in December 2016 at PPG Paints Arena. His first career goal came the day after Thanksgiving in 2017 against the Penguins at Boston’s TD Garden, where his father, John Grzelcyk, worked as part of the arena’s operations team. Grzelcyk scored by gripping and ripping a wrister from the left circle past goaltender Matt Murray, contributing to a 4-3 Bruins victory.
“When the goal happened, I sort of just blacked out,” Grzelcyk recalled in a conference call Thursday. “You dream about that as a kid, but once it happens, you’re not sure how to react. It was so cool to have my family there the day after Thanksgiving.”
Now, almost seven years later, Grzelcyk is moving to a new city after signing a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Penguins. Leaving the Bruins means leaving the team where he played the first eight years of his NHL career and his hometown of Charlestown, Mass.
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“It’s tough anytime you move on from a team,” Grzelcyk said. “I’ve only been there. I’m definitely motivated to prove myself again as a player.”
Grzelcyk’s motivation stems from a challenging 2023-24 season. Injuries limited him to 63 games and 11 points (two goals, nine assists), a significant drop from his career-best 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) in 75 games the previous season. He was also a healthy scratch for the Bruins’ final eight games of the 2024 postseason.
“It was a pretty frustrating season,” Grzelcyk admitted. “A ticky-tacky injury kept me out. I was forced to go on long-term injured reserve and miss 10 games. It was tough adjusting to the speed again. I think I just lost a little bit of confidence along the way. I’ve had a really good summer so far.”
Throughout his tenure with the Bruins, Grzelcyk often played alongside right-handed defenseman Charlie McAvoy, acting as a safety valve for the offensively aggressive McAvoy. The Penguins have similar players in Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang. While Ryan Graves and Marcus Pettersson are the likely candidates for the Penguins’ top two defensive pairings, Grzelcyk, who played under new Penguins assistant coach David Quinn at Boston University, hopes to fit in.
“Those are two really special players,” Grzelcyk said. “It would be a huge privilege to play with them. I want to complement them as best I can, understand how they play, and figure out how I can best support them.”
Grzelcyk has taken significant steps this offseason to recapture his form.
“I started training right away,” he said. “I didn’t want to take a ton of time off after the season. I was back in the gym and skating a week or two after the season. I just wanted to feel my best and make strides this summer. A new opportunity with a new team gives me energy. This team still has a lot of talent and the will to win.”
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