New Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk 'motivated to prove myself again'

Well before he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this month as an unrestricted free agent, Matt Grzelcyk enjoyed some bright moments through connections with the team.

First, the left-handed defenseman was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the third round (No. 85 overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft that was hosted by the Penguins at what was then known as Consol Energy Center.

Then he made his NHL debut in December of 2016 at what had become PPG Paints Arena.

And perhaps most profoundly, he scored his first career goal the day after Thanksgiving in 2017 against the Penguins at Boston’s TD Garden where his father, John Grzelcyk, worked as a member of the so-called “Bull Gang,” a group of laborers who manage the day-to-day operations of the arena.

Corralling a loose puck in the left circle, Grzelcyk gripped and ripped a wrister to the far side past goaltender Matt Murray’s glove for a second-period score that helped the Bruins claim a 4-3 win.

“When the goal happened, I sort of just blacked out,” Grzelcyk said during a conference call Thursday. “I don’t really remember much of that or much of the game, to be honest. Wasn’t really sure. You always dream about that as a kid but once it happens, you’re not sure how to react. It was so cool to have my family there the day after Thanksgiving so everyone was still in town.”

Almost seven years later, Grzelcyk will be moving to a new town after he signed a one-year contract worth $2.75 million with the Penguins.

Grzelcyk isn’t just leaving the place where he played the first eight years of his NHL career. The Charlestown, Mass., native and Boston University alumnus is leaving home.

“It’s tough anytime you move on from a team,” Grzelcyk said. “I’ve only been there. I’m definitely motivated to prove myself again as a player.”

That motivation is rooted in a ho-hum 2023-24 season when injuries limited Grzelcyk to 63 games and 11 points (two goals, nine assists).

That represented a considerable decline in terms of production from the previous season when he established a career-best with 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) in 75 games.

Perhaps worst of all, he was a healthy scratch for the Bruins’ final eight games of the 2024 postseason.

“It was a pretty frustrating season,” said Grzelcyk (5-foot-10, 180 pounds). “It was kind of a ticky-tacky injury that kept me out. I was forced to go on (long-term injured reserve) so I had to miss 10 games. It was a little tough just getting back and adjusting to the speed again.

“I wouldn’t attest it at 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 regain that mid-season. I’m just trying to put that behind me now. I’ve had a really good summer so far.”

For most of his tenure with the Bruins, Grzelcyk (pronounced “GRIHZ-lihk”) was affixed to right-handed Charlie McAvoy on a defensive pairing, serving as something of a safety valve for the offensive aggressive McAvoy.

The Penguins have two starboard-sided blueliners with similar approaches in Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang.

While incumbent southpaws Ryan Graves and Marcus Pettersson presumably would be the favorites to skate on the Penguins’ top two pairings, Grzelcyk, who played for new Penguins assistant coach David Quinn at Boston University, sees himself being in the mix to work with Karlsson or Letang.

“Those are obviously two really special players,” Grzelcyk said. “It would be a huge privilege to get the opportunity to play with them. … I want to complement them as best I can and find out exactly how they play and get a closer look. Hopefully, just a get little bit closer and more hands-on with them. Pick their brains apart and just figure how I can best complement them.”

That doesn’t appear to be just idle talk on Grzelcyk’s behalf. He indicated he has taken some significant steps this offseason to recapture the game that previously made him a regular in the lineup of the stout Bruins, one of the NHL’s better teams in recent years.

“I started training right away,” Grzelcyk said. “I didn’t want to take a ton of time off after the (season). I was pretty much back in the gym and back skating a week or two right after the season. Just wanted to continue to feel my best throughout the year and make some strides this summer.

“A new opportunity, new team. I’m hoping that it gives me personally a little bit of energy. It’s a team that I feel still has a lot of talent and a lot of will to win.”