New Penguins D-Man Grzelcyk Admits Lost Confidence; Prepares for Big Challenge
Nearly a few weeks after signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk expressed his hopes with a new team and admitted he didn’t have the best year with the Boston Bruins.
Actually, it was a pretty rough year with Boston, leading to his unrestricted free agency.
Grzelcyk (pronounced grizz-lick), 30, had a nagging injury that forced him to long-term injured reserve, derailing his season. He admittedly struggled to get back into the rhythm of the campaign, and things spiraled from there. He played in just 63 games and was a healthy scratch for most of Boston’s playoff games. Through the regular season, he amassed career-lows in goals (2) and points (11).
“I think it was a pretty frustrating season. It was kind of a ticky-tacky injury that kept me out — I was forced to miss 10 games, and I think it was a little tough just getting back and adjusting to the speed again,” Grzelcyk said Thursday in a virtual meeting with Pittsburgh media including Pittsburgh Hockey Now. “I won’t attest it all to the injury. I think I just lost a little bit of confidence along the way. As a player, it can be tough to kind of regain that at mid-season. But I’m just trying to put that behind me now.”
On an uncharacteristically quiet day for the Penguins organization, Grzelcyk was the Penguins’ big free agent acquisition on July 1, signing the one-year deal for $2.75 million. The signing was necessitated by the departure of P.O Joseph, to whom the team declined to extend a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline.
Joseph’s departure created a left-side hole in the Penguins’ lineup. Joseph played with top-pairing defenseman Kris Letang in the final months of the season but was a healthy and unhealthy scratch for stretches leading to that opportunity.
Grzelcyk could slot on any of the three pairings, but he’ll likely be challenged to play top-four minutes with Letang or Erik Karlsson, both of whom can be challenging partners because of their expansive offensive games.
“(They’re) really special players, and it would be a huge privilege to have the opportunity to play with them. Over the last few years, I’ve gotten the chance to play with Charlie McAvoy, who I think is one of the best defensemen in the NHL,” Grzelcyk said. “And, it’s a really good opportunity. Those guys are such special players, and I want just to compliment them as best I can and find out exactly how they play and get a closer look.
“(I want to) just get a little bit closer and more hands-on with them and kind of pick their brain and just figure out how (I) can best complement them.”
Playing with the Penguins’ best would offer Grzelcyk a chance to rekindle his game and earn a fat paycheck next summer. Stylistically, his blend of skating and puck movement should be a good fit with what the Penguins hope to do this season. His relationship with new Penguins assistant coach David Quinn doesn’t hurt either.
Grzelcyk played for Quinn at Boston University, and the pair still occasionally golf together. The lines of communication will be important to get the player back to his 25-point expectations.
“Pittsburgh is a team that’s always caught my eye. They play really fast. I feel like that sort of suits my game and how I want to play,” said the defenseman. “They transition so well, (and) they’re really a dangerous team off the rush. They can beat you in so many different ways, and they also defend really hard. So they’ve been a really hard team to play against ever since I’ve been in the league. And, I have admired them from afar for a really long time.”
Part of Grzelcyk’s opportunity with the Penguins will rest on Ryan Graves’s rebound or lack thereof. Graves’s first season with the Penguins went about as poorly as Grzelcyk’s last season in Boston. Graves, too, lost his spot in the Penguins lineup but figures to be part of the three pairings, at least somewhere.
When Grzelcyk returns from Europe and David Patrnak’s wedding in a few weeks, his Pittsburgh odyssey will begin with a new place to live and a new team.
Unlike the Bruins, a lot of the Penguins’ season will depend on his fit.
Categorized:Penguins
Meh. This is a typical pirates move. Sign some middling veteran player and hope for enough of a rebound that they can flip him for something at the deadline
If he’s healthy and can get into a rhythm, he can prove to be a good, cheap deal
Never bought a real defensive player in the last five years! Too much spent on offense in a defensive NHL! Florida gave up on offense! Vegas, Tampa, St Louis, Dallas are all teams that won with a defense!
He’s going to main defense when paired with Letang or Karlsson you say? All 5’9″ 175lbs of him. Anytime the puck is in our end especially around the net or a long the boards this 30 yr pee wee is going to be a liability.
So much for the “we need to get younger, bigger, tougher, faster” mantra.