Grzelcyk On Contract Talks: ‘I Know Exactly Where I Want To Be’
Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk of the Boston Bruins isn’t allowing his contract status get in the way of his play, but he’s also not afraid to say who he wants to play for beyond this season.
For Matt Grzelcyk, things haven’t gone as planned because the injury bug has struck at the worst possible time. Currently in the midst of his final four-year, $14.7 million ($3.6 million AAV) contract, the thirty-year-old defenseman from Charlestown, Massachusetts is undoubtedly having his worst season since going full-time in the NHL in 2017–18.
Through 30 games played, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound puck-moving defenseman has just two goals and four assists and has a plus-minus of +3. He’s had a stretch of 13 games without a point and 18 without a goal.
This comes after the best season of his career last season when he had four goals, and 26 assists in 70 games and finished second in the NHL in plus-minus at a +46 rating, trailing only teammate and fellow Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm who finished at +49.
Grzelcyk entered the 2023–24 season on an expiring contract; on July 1, he can become an unrestricted free agent, despite having just finished his finest NHL season. But that’s not what’s keeping him from focusing or bringing him down.
Rather, it’s been the health-related dose of Murphy’s Law he’s encountered. Grezelcyk missed three more games from December 19–30 after missing 10 between October 30 and November 25.
In a recent one-on-one interview with Boston Hockey Now, Grzelcyk was asked if his unknown contract status has been a burden. He responded, “Actually, it hasn’t.”
“I suppose you never know how things are going to turn out. Maybe you’re considering the previous summer, but I’ve just been attempting to play better. I believe I had a strong beginning, but once I was injured, I started to regress a little.
That was, I believe, more of a mental shift than anything else, and I’m attempting to improve my game going forward, one game at a time. That’s kind of my current emphasis, and although it sounds corny, it hasn’t really crept up.
Not even when he was unable to play and was just sitting at home?
No, in Grzelcyk’s response. “Well, I’m thinking about ‘Am I going to be healthy?’ and similar things most of the time, but it hasn’t come up.”
Even so, he continues to harbor dreams of playing for the Boston Bruins, the only NHL team he has ever supported and played for since he was a young child growing up in Charlestown.
Obviously, I’ve only played for one team, and it’s my childhood dream to play for this team, so I know exactly where I want to be for sure,” Grzelcyk said. “It’s been special to not only play for the Bruins but to just play on such good teams every year. It’s something that I definitely don’t take for granted.”
What happens if the Boston Bruins decide to deal him before the NHL trade deadline of March 8 or decide not to bring him back after this season?
Grzelcyk remarked, “I don’t even allow myself to think about it; it’s just too weird.” “Like I’ve said, I’ve been a Bruins fan my entire life, so I’ve kind of grown up with that. Since I’ve graduated from college, it’s all I’ve known, so I’m going to try not to think about it until that day comes.”
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