This isn’t new for Matt Grzelcyk. He’s done this before.
And for many years with great success.
For much of the first eight years of his NHL career as a member of the Boston Bruins, the left-handed defenseman had the task of skating on a pairing with an offensively talented right-hander.
In Boston, Grzelcyk was the safety valve to the skilled Charlie McAvoy.
And now, he appears to be the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first option as a partner to Kris Letang.
“There’s a lot (in common) there,” Grzelcyk said Sept. 20 in Cranberry. “Kris is someone that Charlie definitely (has looked) up to over the years and wants to model his game after. Obviously, they’re offensively gifted but they take a lot of pride defensively. They expect a lot out of themselves and a lot out of their partner.”
Through the early stages of the Penguins’ training camp, Grzelcyk has skated next to Letang. And per the team’s social media, Grzelcyk opened with Letang on the top defensive pairing in a 5-2 preseason win against the Ottawa Senators at the Sudbury (Ont.) Community Arena on Sunday.
“Such a great player,” Grzelcyk said of Letang, a six-time All-Star. “Has been for a very long time, still is. I’m just trying to be a sponge around him. He has a ton of knowledge to give about the game and what he would expect from his partner. Just trying to learn here. And start to build chemistry.”
The alchemy between Grzelcyk and McAvoy was mostly strong for the seven seasons they were teammates. Their zenith as a union came during the 2022-23 season when the Bruins set an NHL record with 135 points with a 65-12-5 record. Skating on the top defensive pairing with McAvoy, Grzelcyk established a career-high with 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) in 75 games.
“We just worked really well together,” said Grzelcyk, 30. “We were able to read off each other quite well. When one of us was in the play, the other was in close support in case something happens and ready to back up defensively. But also just using each other on breakouts.”
That success was broken up in 2023-24 season as Grzelcyk largely struggled through an injury-filled campaign. Various ailments limited him to 63 games and 11 points (two goals, nine assists) during the regular season. As for the postseason, he wound up being a healthy scratch for the Bruins’ final eight contests.
As one might guess, he did not suffer from a surplus of confidence last season.
“It was just mental,” Grzelcyk said. “Getting down on myself more than I normally would. Usually, I’m a pretty positive guy. I was just getting really negative and looking too far in the future with things and with plays in particular. I’m at my best, I think everyone is when they’re just playing in the moment, they’re playing reactionary. I was just thinking too far ahead and not staying present enough. That’s something that I’m trying to be focused on.”
Cut loose by the Bruins as an unrestricted free agent this past summer, Grzelcyk (pronounced “GRIHZ-lihk”) signed a one-year contract with the Penguins worth $2.75 million.
While defense is largely how Grzelcyk (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) has carved out an NHL existence, his abilities with the puck intrigued Penguins management.
“He’s a really good puck mover,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “And for a guy that may not be the biggest guy on the ice, he’s a fierce competitor. He competes hard on pucks. He’s not light on pucks, he competes hard. When you combine that skillset, I think his greatest attribute is his puck-moving ability. Just getting back to pucks, executions on the breakout retrievals, whether it be with his partner or just punching the puck north to our forwards so we can … get out of our end zone and start to establish the game that we hope to play.”
Grzelcyk shares that optimism as he tries to recapture what has made him a good partner to a defenseman like Letang.
“Just looking to regain my confidence,” Grzelcyk said. “I can be an effective player in this league. It’s just about getting off to a good start here and showing the guys here that I’m capable of moving the puck up to the forwards, getting it in their hands and trying to create offense that way.”