When the Bruins kick off the 2022-2023 season on October 12th against the Washington Capitals on the road, they will be missing three key starters. Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk will all be sidelined due to off-season surgeries they are still rehabbing from. Recently the Bruins and their fans got some good news on one of their injured players as it seems he will be back sooner than two of his teammates.
Matt Grzelcyk underwent shoulder surgery in June and was given a recovery time of at least five months, leaving the Bruins thin on the Blue line with two of their top four defenseman out.
Grzelcyk gave an update on how his long recovery back to full health has been:
”[It’s been a] long and slow process physically.”
”No pucks yet, so that will be challenging for me A little more on the conditioning side for me. It’s been good.”
While there is no definitive timeline for his return, the progress he has made over the last couple of months is encouraging especially knowing he’ll be back with the Bruins and skating when training camp opens up.
Last season the undersized defenseman finished with four goals and 20 assists for 24 points across 73 games. He posted a plus-22 and looked at his best when paired with the Bruins’ top defenseman in Charlie McAvoy.
Having Grzelcyk expected back before the other two will be a welcomed sight for the Bruins’ defense, which will be stretched thin. In the meantime, the Bruins will be leaning on Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Carlo, Mike Reilly, Jakub Zboril, Derek Forbort, and Connor Clifton to keep the blue line afloat.
