3 Teams That Should Sign Free Agent Matt Grzelcyk

Matt Grzelcyk is the top remaining free agent defenseman and arguably the top free agent left for teams to sign. He finished with one goal and 40 points last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins as a top-4 defenseman, but so far no one has bitten and brought in the puck-mover. He will find a home by the time the season starts and maybe it comes after more teams do some roster altering late in the summer. He would be able to contribute nicely to a playoff contender, and that's likely where he will find himself with a cheaper, short-term deal. These are three teams that could find room for him.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are looking for a defensive upgrade as Nils Lundkvist is still a wildcard performance wise and health wise. Whether the Stars would use Grzelcyk in the top-4 to bump Ilya Lyubushkin down or play Grzelcyk on the third pairing with one of Lundkvist or Lian Bishel, either would do them good. At this point, Alex Petrovic is an organizational depth piece that should only be called up and played in emergencies, not on a regular basis. If Dallas runs 13 forwards, they can fit around $2 million in, and that would probably be good enough for a one-year contract this late in the offseason.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames have no money issues and have $15 million to spend. They would be able to fork over the most money to convince Grzelyck if they want to take a run at him. Calgary is in an interesting spot with a couple of very talented prospects possibly coming in this season, but also trying to make the playoffs as they were very close last season. Rasmus Andersson may be traded, but Mackenzie Weekar, Braydel Pachal, Jake Bean, and Kevin Bahl should all be hanging around in an everyday role. I don't have the same confidence in Daniil Miromanov while Joel Hanley could easily be dropped to the AHL as the next man up. Grzelcyk would fit in a top-4 role and could play beside Weegar, Andersson, or even Zayne Perekh if he plays much in the NHL.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are in a similar spot as the Stars cap wise and could also run 13 forwards to fit in Grzelcyk around the $2 million AAV marker. The difference is they have a couple of options in Tyler Tucker and Matthew Kessel, but neither should probably be everyday NHLers. There should be a preseason battle between the two of them for the seventh spot on the roster. That being said, Grzelcyk would be a much bigger help to Logan Mailloux on the third pairing than either of those other two less experienced players. Grzelcyk would definitely be able to move up to the top-4 if anyone misses time. Cam Fowler, Colton Parayko, and Philip Broberg all played less than 70 games in 2024-25, so it will likely be needed for the Blues to stay as competitive as possible.