B’s Grzelcyk plans to polish any flaw
Matt Grzelcyk, the secondyear Bruins defenseman from Charlestown, feels confident about his future after he signed a two-year contract last Friday.
Grzelcyk said the deal eliminated uncertainty from his offseason regimen and he is satisfied with the contract negotiated by agent Peter Fish with Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.
The agreement is good through the 2019-2020 season with an annual cap hit of $1.4 million, a significant upgrade on the two-year entry-level deal the 24-year-old Grzelcyk signed out of Boston University.
“Just one less thing to worry about obviously going into next year and it gives me a little bit more confidence going into next year,” said Grzelcyk during a press briefing yesterday at Warrior Ice Arena. “It went a lot quicker than I expected. I’m obviously really happy to have more than one year because it gives me more security and a little more confidence going into the season.”
The Bruins have their top seven defensemen from last season under contract in captain Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Kevan Miller, Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, Brendan Carlo and Grzelcyk. They can add to their blueline bounty at this weekend’s NHL draft.
“I don’t think I want to be too comfortable and I am still making sure I earn everything I get,” said Grzelcyk. “But it does help from a peace of mind standpoint to not have to look over your shoulder as much. But there is still a lot of competition in camp and I’m looking forward to coming into next year and earning my ice time.”
Grzelcyk spent his first pro season at the franchise’s AHL affiliate in Providence. He played in 84 games and employed his puck-moving skills to produce six goals and 30 assists. The 5-foot-9, 174-pound Grzelcyk played 61 games his rookie season with the Bruins and scored three goals with 12 assists.
His role increased when Carlo suffered a broken leg in a game on April 3. Grzelcyk had one assist in 11 Stanley Cup playoff games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I can always get bigger and stronger and that’s something I work on,” said Grzelcyk. “Using my feet more to my advantage on the blue line and obviously my shot is the No.1 thing I want to improve.”
Grzelcyk was selected by the B’s in the third round (85th overall) of the 2012 draft, but honored a four-year commitment to BU. He was recruited and played his first year for Jack Parker but developed an NHL game under David Quinn, who became the New York Rangers head coach on May 24.
“He helped me a lot and during the season when I was at BU every Monday was dedicated toward defensive zone and skating,” said Grzelcyk. “I think that was huge for me and helped me take the next step.”