Grzelcyk faces great opportunity, challenge
B’s defenseman can help fill void left by Krug
The Bruins sent the message to Matt Grzelcyk that he is a key part of the club’s present when the two sides consummated the deal that will pay the defenseman $14.75 million over four years.
Now the Charlestown native has to live up to it. And with the left side of the B’s defense in flux — the level of which has yet to be fully determined — he’ll get ample opportunity to do that.
While captain Zdeno Chara’s status is still very much up in the air, what we do know for sure is that someone will have to step into the hole left by the departure of Torey Krug. That may not all fall on Grzelcyk’s shoulders, but he will be expected to pick up some of the slack. He’s looking forward to the challenge.
“I think my job is just to come in, in as best shape as possible, and I think it’s no secret that we want to — the defense as a whole — add offensively to our games,” Grzelcyk said on a Monday call with reporters. “That’s something that I take pride in and I want to come back with maybe a new mindset of wanting to initiate more on the offensive side of the puck. I think we’re going to need to in order to have success. If you want to take that next step as a team, we’re going to need to rely on our D to keep pushing pucks up north and wanting to play offensively. Obviously, there is a little bit of opportunity, but it’s up to me to come back a better player and want to take advantage of that.”
Despite their similarities of size, or lack thereof, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Grzelcyk is not a carbon copy of Krug. The 26-yearold Grzelcyk’s biggest strength has been to retrieve the puck in his own end and move it expertly out of the zone before one of the bigger bodies on the ice can get
a hold of him. He has not been a huge point producer in his career, his 4-17-21 point total in 2019-20 being his high-water mark so far.
Part of that reason is that he has not had a chance to play on the B’s explosive top power-play unit with Krug being a catalytic part of it. Grzelcyk does not have the booming slap shot that Krug possesses, but he’s been working on it the last few years. But he does have a sneaky good wrister from the dots and has a good head for the game. He’s not guaranteed that Krug spot on the PP, but he’s a leading candidate.
“Obviously, a big challenge. The power play is something that we rely on for a lot of our offense in order to have success throughout the season,” said the Boston University product. “The first unit is quite stacked with offensive talent. I think, obviously, Torey is a really special player. It’s not always easy having to go into that position. I think when I’ve gone in in years past, I was more focused on wanting to be more of a facilitator and get the pucks into those guys’ hands. I do have a lot of area of improvement in that area and I think that comes with confidence and wanting to take that next step as a player. That is something I’m focused on and I think that I can watch more video to know, not only the plays they run, but seeing where the open ice is from a different perspective. Hopefully I can apply that to my game and add that going forward.”
While Krug didn’t wear a letter on his sweater, he was recognized as part of the leadership group. Grzelcyk’s personality is more reserved than Krug’s, but he’s ready and willing to help in the leadership department.
“I got the opportunity to be captain in college for two years and that was an opportunity that I didn’t take too lightly,” said Grzelcyk. “I think it’s part of my personality, I’m not the most vocal guy, I’m pretty quiet, try to lead more by example. I think that just comes with experience and we have probably some of the best leadership in the NHL already on the team and so many years of experience that I don’t have to be the most vocal guy and want to talk up too much. I think that does come with confidence and experience through playing a number of years.”
As for Chara, Grzelcyk hopes the longtime captain is back in black and gold.
“Not really sure how it’s going to shake out but … I would love to have Zdeno back,” said Grzelcyk. “He’s an unbelievable teammate, he’s an unbelievable person. I feel like he still has got a lot of game left and has a lot of hunger to keep playing and keep pushing. It’s awesome to see first-hand his ability to lead and the example that he sets forth for the entire team.”
Grzelcyk’s deal came together fairly quickly once he filed for arbitration, which tends to move along negotiations between team and player. Had he bet on himself and gone for the one-year deal in arbitration, he could have been an unrestricted free agent next offseason. But having grown up across the North Washington Street bridge and in and around the Garden with his father John, a longtime member of the bull gang, Grzelcyk had no desire to hatch an escape plan.
“That was definitely a discussion that I had to have with my agent (Peter Fish),” said Grzelcyk. “But being from here and having the opportunity to play for the Bruins means so much to me.”