When the NHL trade deadline passed and Matt Grzelcyk was still a member of the Penguins, a certain someone was doggone delighted to welcome him back home.
That would be Teddy, his 3-year-old golden retriever and the first dog he’s owned.
“Oh, it was amazing. He was pumped to see me, especially after the long road trip,” Grzelcyk grinned. “We’ve gone out for a lot of long walks with the nice weather.”
The thought of being temporarily separated from his best buddy — and his girlfriend, too, of course — was one of a few reasons the veteran defenseman said two weeks ago it was his desire to stay in Pittsburgh beyond the March 7 trade deadline.
Another big one is Grzelcyk feels he has revived his career with the Penguins.
Now that the anxiousness he felt about his immediate future has subsided and he knows he’ll be here for the rest of the season, Grzelcyk can just focus on playing.
“Obviously, it’s huge to kind of put that behind me now,” he said. “It’s been good.”
His play? That has been good, too. That’s actually been the case for most of 2025.
Over the last 23 games, which dates back to mid-January, the 31-year-old has nine points and a team-best plus-9 rating while averaging above 20 minutes per game.
His advanced statistics are strong, as well, especially when compared to the other Penguins defensemen who regularly fill top-four roles. Pittsburgh has an expected goals percentage of 52.1 when Grzelcyk is out on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.
On both fronts, the numbers are night and day compared to his first three months.
“I think it’s been trending in the right direction as the year has gone along,” he said.
Mike Sullivan on Monday politely disputed the notion that Grzelcyk got off to a slow start in his first year in Pittsburgh. He believes Grzelcyk has been better than billed all season, especially when it comes to his passing on breakouts and the power play.
“I know a lot of you guys were critical of him earlier in the season,” the coach said.
But Grzelcyk acknowledged he did need time to get comfortable in Pittsburgh.
For one, he needed to build his confidence back up after the Boston Bruins moved on from him after eight seasons. It was the first time in his NHL career that Grzelcyk had to change teams. Plus, he would get only a one-year deal on the open market.
Grzelcyk — along with his girlfriend and Teddy — had to get settled in a new city.
And like Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci and many other defensemen before him, it took Grzelcyk some time to get used to the way the Penguins asked him to defend.
Grzelcyk said the Penguins defend the rush similarly to how the Bruins had done it.
“It’s pretty much identical,” Grzelcyk said. “We kind of did the slide-and-squash, which is what they want us to do here if there is a 3-on-2 or a 4-on-2 [rush]. You force the other team to make two good passes and to execute. That can be tough.”
However, Grzelcyk said he was tentative as he adjusted to their in-zone coverages.
He said that in Boston, their defensemen were told to pressure the puck carrier on the perimeter only up to the hash marks. At that point, they had “a hard stop.” In Pittsburgh, they are encouraged to continue to chase them, depending on the read.
“That was hard for me to let go of because it had been seven years of, ‘Once he gets to the hash marks, start heading back,’ ” he said. “It was just uncomfortable at first.”
Grzelcyk also needed to learn when to apply pressure in the offensive end. He has a good feel now for when to pinch, and that’s kept him out of adverse situations.
Sullivan is pleased with how Grzelcyk is playing next to rangy partner Erik Karlsson.
“When he’s at his best, his anticipation skills on both sides of the puck allow him to be effective,” Sullivan said of the 5-foot-11 lefty. “Obviously, he’s not an overly big guy. So his ability to arrive on time and anticipate plays, get there when the puck gets there or just before helps him a lot defensively. He’s got a pretty good stick.”
Last week, team president Kyle Dubas said on his radio show that the final month of the season will provide some players with an opportunity to earn new contracts.
Grzelcyk, who has a career-best 31 points with 13 games to go, said he is “very grateful” the Penguins helped him to get his career back on track. The pending free agent is happy in Pittsburgh and is interested in re-signing here this summer.
For now, he is focused on having fun and helping the Penguins to keep rolling. Their four straight wins have fostered a bit of hope that the playoffs may still be in reach.
“There’s still very important games for us, and obviously you want to be playing your best hockey,” Grzelcyk said. “You want to leave a really good impression.”
Around the boards
Injured defensemen Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Ryan Shea skated on an individual basis before Monday’s practice. ... Tommy Novak still has not skated since suffering a lower-body injury March 9 at Minnesota. ... Given the struggles of the penalty kill in particular, a sizable chunk of Monday’s practice was devoted to special teams.
First Published: March 17, 2025, 7:31 p.m.
Updated: March 18, 2025, 4:24 p.m.
