The Chicago Blackhawks are signing 31-year-old defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a professional tryout (PTO), according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Hearing Matt Grzelcyk is signing a PTO with Chicago…was surprised to still see him on the market after a 40-point season
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 16, 2025
Grzelcyk, a 5-foot-10 left-handed defenseman, was a third-round pick by the Bruins in 2012 and spent the first eight seasons of his professional career in Boston. In 445 games with the Bruins, Grzelcyk recorded 25 goals, 110 assists, and 135 points.
After hitting the free-agent market last summer, Grzelcyk signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins and found his game following a woeful 2023-24 season. Playing in all 82 games for the Penguins, Grzelcyk netted a career-high 39 assists and added one goal to reach the 40-point plateau for the first time in the NHL. He also averaged over 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career.
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now gave a comment on Grzelcyk’s season with the Penguins.
“Grzelcyk is a fine defenseman and had a rebound year with the Penguins. His game doesn’t seem to lack anything, though it is sometimes hard to find his contributions. He padded his career-best points total by being the surprise fit on top of the Penguins’ power play when Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang failed.”
Grzelcyk signing a PTO doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to stick around, but my mind instantly went to how this impacts Wyatt Kaiser, who’s still awaiting a new contract as a restricted free agent. Training camp begins on Thursday, and the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. The timing of this just seems odd.
The Blackhawks also have no shortage of young defensemen competing for an NHL roster spot, including Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro, and Nolan Allan, in addition to Kaiser, on the left side. There’s also Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Louis Crevier looking to become full-time NHL blue liners. Not to mention stalwarts in Alex Vlasic and Connor Murphy. Where does Grzelcyk fit among all of them?
Fortunately, we only have to wait until Thursday to get an idea.
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