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The Pittsburgh Penguins needed a left-side defenseman and got one as the NHL free-agent frenzy began its second hour. The Penguins signed former Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year deal.
PHN can confirm the contract and the $2.75 million salary.
The Penguins created an additional need for an LHD Sunday afternoon when they non-tendered P.O Joseph, leaving just five defensemen on the NHL roster and just two left-side defenders.
Grzelcyk, 30, is a good skating, puck-moving defenseman who can play fast but lacks size. He’s just 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, but has been a valuable member of the Bruins penalty kill. In Boston he played about 17 minutes per night.
Last season, he slumped to only 11 points (2-9-11) in 63 games but has been a reliable defenseman, scoring in the 20-point range in the previous four seasons.
He played college hockey at Boston U under new Penguins assistant coach David Quinn in 2015-16. Grzelcyk was Boston’s third-round pick (85th overall) in 2012. Boston selected him two picks after the Penguins selected Matt Murray and one pick before St. Louis selected Colton Parayko.
Preliminarily, he would seem to be a nice counterbalance to third-pairing defenseman Jack St. Ivany, who is a steady, stay-home defenseman who likes to clear the net front. Grzelcyk would provide forward mobility on the pairing and perhaps a bit of offense.
He can also run the power play should Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson not be available or coaches figure out how to use them on the same unit.
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Depth: The Habs have the NHL’s second-worst line of centers, according to Travis Yost
Offensively, the Canadiens have a few certainties heading into next season. Some guys are “guaranteed” to be in the team’s top-9, and there are some logical names that come to mind. But there are also some uncertainties… and you’ll understand that I’m talking about the team’s center line. Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans are going to play center, that’s written in the sky, but what about the rest? Alex Newhook, Joe Veleno, Zachary Bolduc (?) and Oliver Kapanen (the latter could cause a surprise) can play center on a line… but when you look closely, it’s easy to see that the Habs don’t have much depth at center. And in the eyes of Travis Yost, who was on the Sick Podcast… it goes further: according to him, the Habs have the 2nd-worst center line in the entire National League, ahead of the Nashville Predators. That’s not ideal. [content-ads] It’s no secret. To win games, be dominant on the ice and make a run in the playoffs….good NHL clubs must have the luxury of a big line of centers. They’re the ones who control the game, and they’re often the centerpieces of a Stanley Cup contending team. Clearly, the Habs have a problem at the moment at this level, and that’s what’s worrying in a way. The Canadiens have high expectations after making the playoffs last year, but it may be difficult to compete with other clubs if they don’t improve at center before too long. That said, we saw the club make the playoffs last year with a line of centers “similar” to the one for next season. The club lost Christian Dvorak… but in the long term, this formula doesn’t work in the National League. Kent Hughes tried to find a second quality center to play in the top-6, but he didn’t succeed. As a result, the Habs have a pretty big hole at center… which could sink the team at any moment on the ice. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Nice picture! – With good reason. – It’s going to get hot.
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber makes all kinds of MLB history vs. Braves
Kyle Schwarber made sure his Philadelphia Phillies bounced back after being swept by the New York Mets earlier this week. Schwarber went 4-for-6 with four home runs and nine RBI in Philadelphia's 19-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. His first home run of the night came in the first inning, a solo shot for his 46th of the season. In the fourth inning, the three-time All-Star blasted his second home run of the night (47), this time a two-run knock. Schwarber’s third long ball came in the following frame, with his 48th being a three-run homer. Finally, in the seventh inning, Schwarber hit his fourth home run (49) of the night to right field to come within one dinger of 50 for the season. The 32-year-old made all kinds of history on Thursday against the Phillies’ division rival. He already surpassed his previous career high for home runs in a single season, but also became just the fourth player in franchise history to have four homers in a game and the first since Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt did so in 1976. Additionally, Schwarber is only the 21st player in MLB history to achieve this feat, and the fifth player all-time with at least four homers and nine RBI in a game. Plus, Schwarber joined the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz and Seattle Mariners’ Eugenio Suarez as the only players to have a four-homer game this season — the first time this has occurred. Clearly, Schwarber and the Phillies were anxious to get out of Queens and return to Philadelphia. The Phillies’ offense scored just eight runs across the three-game set against the Mets. They scored 19 runs off the Braves’ pitching at Citizens Bank Park. Schwarber received “MVP” chants from Phillies fans on Thursday, and rightfully so. He’s on his way to breaking Ryan Howard’s previous franchise record of 58 home runs in a season, which earned him the 2006 National League MVP.
Post-Ashton Jeanty era gets off to brutal start for No. 25 Boise State
There had to be at least some expectation that the Boise State Broncos were going to take a small step backwards in 2025. They probably just did not expect it to happen so soon in the season, and so emphatically. The No. 25 ranked Broncos were absolutely humiliated on Thursday night, losing 34-7 to an unranked South Florida team that was just 7-6 a year ago. It was a rude awakening for what might be ahead for Boise State following the departure of Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty's historic season helped carry the Broncos to an 12-1 regular season, with the only regular season loss being a three-point defeat to Oregon early in the season. They ended up in the College Football Playoff where they lost their first game to Penn State. But with Jeanty on to the NFL (a first-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders) there was always going to be a huge hole for them to replace. Not only in terms of production and skill, but also in their identity. They had none of that power-running identity on Thursday. Not only did they allow 34 consecutive points to South Florida, but the Broncos also managed to rush for only 122 yards on 38 carries, coming out to just 3.2 yards per attempt. They averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2024, tied for the second-highest mark in college football. On one hand, losing an early season game isn't the end of the world, especially in the era of expanded playoffs. Boise State could still run the table the rest of the way with a very manageable schedule and play its way back into playoff contention. It's also not uncommon for teams to struggle early in the season. There is no preseason in college football and everybody is just coming in cold right into real games. Sometimes teams take a while to get moving. But this is not a particularly good South Florida team, and for Boise State to come out so flat and be so uncompetitive in the opener is a bad sign for what might be ahead.
Keegan Bradley opens up on the PGA Tour winner he hated leaving off the Ryder Cup team
Keegan Bradley has finalised his Ryder Cup selections, naming the six players who will join the automatic qualifiers for Team USA. The team is now set after Bradley announced his picks for Bethpage Black, and he did not include himself in the squad. Despite a solid PGA Tour year, the 39-year-old golfer finished 11th in the rankings, just missing automatic qualification. He therefore chose to focus on his captaincy duties rather than chasing a playing spot. Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa also missed out on automatic qualification but were later added by Bradley. Keegan Bradley admits he found it tough to leave Maverick McNealy out of his Ryder Cup squad Maverick McNealy was one of the players who missed out on a spot, and Bradley addressed that shortly after announcing his selections. He said: “Very, very difficult call to Mav. Incredible kid, played well all year long. I was very upfront with the guys that hadn’t made the team. “You really have to make the team on points in your first team, it’s really difficult to get a pick in your first team event. “I made that very clear to him and he still played great. I played with him a bunch of times this year and I was really impressed with his game. “I told him it’s okay to be angry, I left these calls really angry most times. You can use this as fuel. I said please be angry with me and make the next team. Make Brandt’s [Snedeker] Presidents Cup team. “I used it as fuel for most my career and I advised Mav to do the same thing because he made a great run at making this team and ultimately that was a really tough decision.” Maverick McNealy’s PGA Tour form in 2025 McNealy had the Ryder Cup on his radar throughout the season, but fell just short of earning a place under Bradley. The 29-year-old has one PGA Tour win to his name, having taken The RSM Classic title in 2024. He nearly added another this year, finishing runner-up at The Genesis Invitational. Ludvig Aberg ended up taking the win at Torrey Pines, edging out McNealy by just one stroke. McNealy’s exclusion from this year’s team, as Bradley pointed out, could motivate him to strive for future selections. Next month, the Ryder Cup returns to New York, with the hosts looking to reclaim the trophy from Team Europe. McNealy finished 10th in American qualification, ahead of Bradley.
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