After months of waiting for the right offer in the UFA market this off-season, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk signed a PTO with the Chicago Blackhawks.
It was puzzling to see Grzelcyk go unsigned after he put up a career-high 39 assists and 40 points last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not to mention that he is 31 years old with multiple seasons left in the tank to be a serviceable D-man for any team that wants him.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that, despite coming off a one-year, $2.75-million contract and a great season, Grzelcyk received an offer from a Western Conference team to sign a one-year contract worth $1 million. Ultimately, the blueliner rejected the offer.
Even though he signed a PTO with Chicago, LeBrun added that four destinations could be interested in Grzelcyk’s services, depending on how training camp and pre-season go for each team, and for Grzelcyk.
Here’s a ranking of which team would make the best fit for Grzelcyk.
1. Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche currently have a hole on the left side of their defense. Although that hole won’t last for long because defenseman Samuel Girard is expected to return from his lower-body injury for opening night of the regular season.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a fit for Grzelcyk on Colorado’s back end. There’s an opportunity for him in the bottom four of that D-corps. With Girard, Josh Manson and Brent Burns likely safe in their spots, that leaves one more spot free.
Grzelcyk would have to compete with D-man Sam Malinski for that final spot. Malinski is a right-handed defenseman, giving the edge to Grzelcyk in terms of pairing positions. Furthermore, Grzelcyk has plenty more NHL experience and effectiveness compared to Malinski, who has played just 99 NHL games at the age of 27.
However, there would be no need to kick Malinski to the curb, as he’d still be an asset to Colorado’s defense. While Burns has been a great D-man for most of his career, he is now 40 years old and naturally on the decline. Malinski could find consistent ice time filling in for the aging Burns.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks seem like a team that could likely take Grzelcyk on a one-year deal following camp and pre-season. Chicago has one of the younger teams in the NHL, and bringing on someone with Grzelcyk’s experience certainly couldn’t hurt the team’s chances at being more competitive this season. However, there is a tradeoff that goes with being more competitive with him on the roster.
Grzelcyk will be taking a spot on the team that could go to a younger defenseman. That could hinder the development plans of the Blackhawks’ young D-core, including Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan, who all play on the left side.
3. Ottawa Senators
It seems unlikely that the Ottawa Senators would be the ones to sign Grzelcyk, but it’s not impossible. One half of Ottawa’s defense seems to be set in stone. That would include Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub. Outside of them, Nick Jensen, Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo are a bit lower on the depth chart, but still solid NHL defensemen.
With this roster, it’s tough to find a regular spot for Grzelcyk, but there is an opportunity there. For instance, Jensen, 34, is coming off a serious hip surgery in the off-season. That leaves some question marks about the near future of his health and spot on the team.
4. New York Islanders
At this point, the New York Islanders are supposed to be a team that is looking to develop young players, especially after drafting defensemen Matthew Schaefer and Kashawn Aitcheson, as well as right winger Victor Eklund, in the first round of the 2025 draft. However, there isn’t an issue with bringing on a veteran or two to guide the youngsters.
The only issue with that ideology is that the Isles are overflowing with veteran defensemen. Even with the subtraction of Noah Dobson, New York still has Alexander Romanov, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield and Tony DeAngelo. Not to mention Ethan Bear and Adam Boqvist, who are still in the defensive mix, even if they’re given AHL roles this season.
The truth is, on the Islanders, there isn’t much room for Grzelcyk to be an effective, everyday NHL player.
5. Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are in a great place with the hire of Joel Quenneville and the wave of excellent players between the ages of 20 and 25. On left defense, Olen Zellweger, Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov carry the load, and they’re all showing great promise to be top-pairing D-men one day.
The Ducks have a loaded abundance of young defensemen that they likely won’t want to be tinkered with, at least when the direction they’re heading is considered. It’s not to say that Grzelcyk wouldn’t have an impact on the team, but Anaheim seems to be set. Grzelcyk would be more fitting as a trade deadline acquisition rather than a committed acquisition at this point in the year.
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