The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to training camp on a PTO. He will be one of the oldest players, 31, on the blue line.
Connor Murphy is 32 years old, which makes him the true elder on the team, but every other defenseman expected to be on the roster is 24 years old or younger. Whether it’s Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Nolan Allan, Louis Crevier, Wyatt Kaiser, or Kevin Korchinski, there are going to be young players playing early and often.
Having a veteran like Grzelcyk around would be great for these young players. A lot of them are looking to become full-time NHL defensemen while gaining valuable experience, so having someone there to look up to will help them.
Grzelcyk is also a solid player. It is odd to see a player like him make it this far without anything other than a PTO. On a lousy Pittsburgh Penguins team in 2024-25, Grzelcyk only scored one goal, but he had 39 assists for 40 points.
Those 40 points would have led the Blackhawks’ defensemen by 10. Vlasic led the blue line with 30 points on four goals and 26 assists.
Even Seth Jones, who was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Florida Panthers and played a huge role in them winning the Stanley Cup, had fewer regular-season points than Grzelcyk.
More ice time for Alex Vlasic, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov could raise their point totals, but Grzelcyk is someone who could lead the team in points by a defenseman if he were to make the team. He can play a solid defensive game while being a good puck distributor in all three zones in all situations (power play, penalty kill, etc).
Forwards on the team, if Grzelcyk makes the roster and plays to his capabilities, would benefit from it as well. The likes of Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Ryan Donato, and Teuvo Teravainen would love the addition of another puck-moving defenseman on the team.
If the Blackhawks did sign him and he played a fair amount of games, he could play with Sam Rinzel or Artyom Levshunov to help bring them along (the other would play with Alex Vlasic), or he could be on an all-veteran pair with Connor Murphy. Jeff Blashill would have options there.
Grzelcyk would certainly have to make an impression during training camp and the preseason to make the team, but the tools are there, and he’s only 31 years old. There are leadership qualities and offensive abilities there that make him worthy of consideration.
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