Bruins Benefitting from Return of Hometown Boy

Matt Grzelcyk grew up in Charlestown, Massachusetts, just a blue-line dump-in from the TD Garden where the Boston Bruins play. Grzelcyk has been able to realize his childhood dream of playing with the Bruins. His father even works on the “Bull Gang” at the Garden. The former Boston University star has been a nice piece to the Bruins’ success in recent seasons, a good left-shot defenseman with excellent skating ability and puck skills.

But last season was the most difficult for Grzelcyk. He struggled with his performance and was asked to play top-pair minutes of defense for much of the season. This caused the 5-foot-9, 175-pound defenseman to be exposed some, especially physically. In the postseason, Grzelcyk’s ice time dropped two minutes per game from the previous postseason. A shoulder injury was hampering the diminutive defenseman so much that it required surgery this past offseason. It was a trying season for the hometown kid. And now he would face the possibility of missing some time to start this season.

But Grzelcyk recovered quicker than expected, and the surgery has his shoulder feeling one hundred percent. The former 2012 third-round pick (85th overall) missed just four games and has been back to playing solid hockey for Boston. In three games, Grzelcyk has three assists, a plus-3 rating, six blocked shots, and is averaging 19:23 of ice time. The left-shot defenseman has eight shots on goal and is providing his usual fluid puck movement.

With top defenseman Charlie McAvoy still out from off-season shoulder surgery, the Bruins have relied on strong play from defensemen Hampus Lindholm, Derek Forbort, and Connor Clifton. Brandon Carlo has returned from a concussion to provide some support on the right side. But Grzelcyk adds another dimension that has helped Boston overcome the loss of his former Boston University teammate McAvoy. Grzelcyk is also helping out a power play, trying to find an identity with three power-play shots in the three games. In Tuesday’s win over Dallas, Grzelcyk assisted on Taylor Hall’s eventual game-winning goal.

Boston is 6-1-0 for the first time since the 1969-70 season without McAvoy and Brad Marchand (hip surgery). During this streak, the Bruins have been getting contributions from many different players. The depth on the Bruins’ roster is as good as it’s been in a few years, particularly on defense. When McAvoy returns, Boston will have nine viable options on the blue line, making it a potentially difficult decision for Head Coach Jim Montgomery on who to play on a particular night.

One of the defensemen who will have a spot in the defensive rotation is Matt Grzelcyk, who continues to live out his dream of playing for the Boston Bruins. This is year three of a four-year deal for Grzelcyk. It has certainly been money well spent for Boston, a team that is very happy that they have the Matt Grzelcyk of old again. Charlestown’s own is providing the Bruins with solid play on both ends of the ice.

Season 4. Episode 14. West Coast Road Trip. – Bruins Benders Podcast

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