Former Bruins D-Man Matt Grzelcyk Finally Lands PTO

Matt Grzelcyk, Penguins defenseman, waves to the crowd

He surprisingly remained unsigned on the UFA market all summer long, but finally, former longtime Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has landed himself a professional tryout offer from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Matt Grzelcyk has signed a PTO with the Chicago Blackhawks, according to @FriedgeHNIC pic.twitter.com/m1DtX8zoOp
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 16, 2025

What makes this so shocking is that Grzelcyk is coming off his best offensive year in the NHL, posting career highs with 40 points and 39 assists, as well as over 20 minutes of ice time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His plus/minus rating of -6 was the first time in his 9-year career that he finished as a minus. But of course, playing on the lowly Penguins obviously contributed to that. For context, Kris Letang was -15 and Erik Karlsson -24.

Grzelcyk was projected for $3.77M free agent contract; instead gets PTO

AFP Analytics had Grzelcyk projected for a three-year deal in free agency at a $3.77 million AAV.

But as an undersized defenseman at 5'10", and never one to use his body much on opponents, he wound up being a healthy scratch during the playoffs for some games in his final years for the Bruins. And contending teams have, in recent years, been trending towards bigger, more physical blueliners.

So after having to settle for a one-year deal at $2.75 million last season with Pittsburgh, this year he'll have to earn a standard contract on a PTO with the Blackhawks.

At 31, however, his veteran experience should be welcomed in the Windy City. Taking Connor Murphy out of the equation, the other six defensemen currently coming into Blackhawks camp (RFA Wyatt Kaiser remains unsigned) average only 21.8 years of age.

Across his nine-year career, in 527 regular-season games, Grzelcyk has accumulated 175 points, with a +131 rating.