Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Grades: Matt Grzelcyk

Matt Grzelcyk signed with the Blackhawks after agreeing to a PTO during the preseason. He impressed, earning a one-year, $1 million contract for the season. Grzelcyk was expected to be a third-pairing defenseman, bringing leadership and experience to an incredibly young Blackhawks blue line. Grzelcyk did just that, and stuck with the team through the trade deadline. Unfortunately, injury ultimately ended his season, and likely tenure, with the Blackhawks. He is now a free agent.

Across 69 games, Grzelcyk posted 12 assists, failing to find the back of the net. Despite the Blackhawks being rough defensively, Grzelcyk owned a -6 plus/minus, a number that isn’t overly egregious. His underlying numbers were just a hair under average. Truthfully, Grzelcyk did enough to at least warrant another one-year deal with a team. He could be a really nice seventh defenseman on a contending team with cap space issues.

Player Grades

Blackhawks Cowboy’s Grade: B-

When Matt Grezclyk signed as a PTO in August, not much was thought of it. In hindsight, most people were very wrong. With young defensemen like Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov not taking the jump that was expected of them, “Grizz” helped fill that void. Grezclyk was a very stable presence on the blue line, and the loss of his presence was felt throughout the team after his injury. While he didn’t record a single goal, Grezclyk was solid enough and very reliable.

Tony Marchese’s Grade: C

Veteran defenseman did veteran defenseman things and didn’t make too many people mad in the process. C for Grzelcyk.

Ron Luce’s Grade: C

Honestly, Matt Grzelcyk was far better than people imagined. He did exactly what was asked, playing on the third pair for most of the season with Connor Murphy. He wasn’t great, he wasn’t bad, but he played enough minutes to give the youngsters a break. For $1 million, he did exactly what was asked. Hopefully he played well enough to get another contract. It won’t be in Chicago, but he showed his worth after most teams passed on him.

What’s On Tap Next?

As of this writing, Matt Grzelcyk is still looking for a home for the upcoming season. Although he won’t receive another contract from the Blackhawks, especially with Ian Cole joining the fold, he should get a look somewhere else. At this point, he may be a late-summer signing as team’s beef up their team depth for training camp.

Tell us if you agree with our grades! What would you give Matt Grzelcyk? Let us know at @FourFeathersPod on X and Instagram!

Next Up: Ethan Del Mastro