Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk left Monday night’s game against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury. His final shift was halfway through the first period, and he would not return to the game. Grzelyck posted a minus-1 rating in 3:29 of ice time.
Grzelcyk has notched one goal in eight games this season with the Bruins while logging 16:44 of ice time per game. He has been on the number one defensive pairing for the Bruins alongside Charlie McAvoy.
Last season, during the 2022-23 campaign, Grzelcyk registered a career-high four goals and 22 assists for 26 points in 75 games, which ranked him third among Bruins defensemen. He racked up 78 blocked shots and 51 hits while logging 17:14 of ice time. In 390 games spanning over eight seasons in Boston, Grzelcyk has tallied 125 points.
The Boston, Massachusetts product is in the final year of a four-year, $14,750,000 million contract he signed with the Bruins in 2020. The contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $3,687,500. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 campaign if the Bruins are unable to lock him up on another deal.
Grzelcyk was initially drafted by the Bruins in the third round, No. 85 overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He spent four seasons with Boston University in the NCAA, where he captained the Terriers from 2014-2016. During the 2014-15 campaign, he posted 38 points in 41 games, which earned him the NCAA Hockey East Championship along with NCAA First-All-Star Team, First All-American Team, and First All-Star Team nods. The following season, he was named the NCAA New England Best Defenseman. He tallied 95 points in 125 NCAA games.
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