Let's just get this out of the way first: Matt Grzelcyk is not Torey Krug and frankly, he never will be. Sure, if you are a lazy sportswriter or fan, you'll look at the two of them and think well they have so much in common (lack of height, left-shot defensemen that are American and in their 20s) which is true but that's where the most obvious similarities end. Krug quickly developed into one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL as proven by his recently signed megadeal with the Blues. Don't misconstrue this: Grzelcyk has plenty of value to the Bruins who inked him to a four-year deal today worth $14.75 million dollars-with an annual NHL cap hit of $3.687500 per year.
Boston had a scheduled arbitration hearing with Grzelcyk set for next week so they were smart to get this settled without the help of needless lawyers. You couldn't create a much better local story than Griz growing up in Charlestown (while his dad worked at TD Garden for the bull gang), getting drafted by the Bruins in 2012 (3rd round, 85th overall), playing three seasons at BU then making the B's and over the last three seasons becoming one of their more dependable performers. By almost any measure, the 26-year-old Grzelcyk is coming off of his best season as a pro: he had a career-high in goals (4), assists (17), points (21), power play points (7) and games played (68). In 197 career NHL games, he's put up 10 goals, 44 assists, two power play goals, 15 power play points and a plus/minus of plus-45. In 43 career NHL playoff games, Matt has four goals, six assists, two power play goals and six power play points with a somewhat sketchy plus/minus of minus-10.
So much of this contract for Bruins GM is projecting what Grzelcyk can become if he reaches his ceiling. We all hope that his offensive game can round out a little bit more and clearly there will be plenty of time available with Krug gone if he can earn it on Boston's top power play unit. Remember he shows flashes especially in the postseason of some nice skills with some notable tallies using his underrated shot. He's not on track to be a Hall of Famer, probably not an All-Star or maybe even a top pair defenseman but I don't want to diminish Grzelcyk's solid role on a good team like the B's. For one thing, he's a little better defensively than Krug or at least it comes a bit more naturally to him. With his lack of size (listed at 174 pounds), he will also struggle from time to time against bigger forwards around the league (think the 2019 Stanley Cup Final vs. St. Louis). For what it's worth, Krug is 186 pounds so if there's a way that Grzelcyk can bulk up and add a few pounds, I don't think that would hurt his game at all.
Finally, Grzelcyk is three years younger than Krug and besides his much more affordable price, that's what makes him such an appealing option for the Bruins as they chase another Stanley Cup whenever next season begins. On any good hockey team, you need stars but you also have to possess plenty of solid middle tier players like Grzelcyk who accept their place on the roster but do everything they can to get the most out of their abilities. This is a nice move by Bruins GM Don Sweeney that won't garner too many headlines nationally but if you are a Black and Gold fan, you can see what Grzelcyk brings to the table every time that he is in the lineup and why Boston did not want to see him leave anytime soon in free agency.
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