Player Discussion Matt Grzelcyk

[JRull86]

I think he's suggesting $6M total over 4 years, rather than $6M per year

Ah. That makes a hell of a lot more sense.

 

[BruinDust]

I love Grizz, but he usually plays against 3rd line players while the other D mentioned are top pair guys. It doesn’t surprise me that his GA/TA numbers are better than theirs.

I really liked the Grizz/Carlo pairing in the few times we have seen it.

When healthy:

Z-Mac
Krug-Miller
Grizz-Carlo

This is exactly what I would like to see come playoff time.

 

[Kalus]

I think he’ll be one of those great value guys. Doesn’t put up a lot of points directly, so he loses market value, but makes a big contribution to the offense with takeaways and smart breakout passes.

Not sure if it’s tracked anywhere, but I suspect he is probably right up there with tertiary assists.

Anyway, i’d live to see a nice 2-3 year bridge deal.

 

[Tampbear]

I really think he can be a top pairing D one day, I know his size is a limiting factor but everything else about him is hockey IQ, skating, and passing are absolutely fantastic.

 

[neelynugs]

That's an insane overpay.

I like Grzelcyk a lot, but he's not a 6 million dollar defenseman. Not even close.

sorry, should've been more clear. $1.5M per year, $6M total over the 4 years.

 

[Glove Malfunction]

This article is heavy on the advanced stats, but makes a good case for just how good Grzelcyk has been.

 

[JRull86]

sorry, should've been more clear. $1.5M per year, $6M total over the 4 years.

Sign me up for that without a second thought.

 

[maxbme]

This article is heavy on the advanced stats, but makes a good case for just how good Grzelcyk has been.

Great article, don't love the quality of competition stat, but it did make me look into who he actually is lining up against at 5v5.

Fair warning, every sample size here is small because you really don't match up against 1 player a ton in a single season. It'll be interesting to see how it looks end of season after we play TBL and FLA a few more times.

Top 10 Centers, did this to approximate lines he's matching up against. Only line he really struggled with was Kadri's. Looks like he's largely facing 1st & 2nd lines and faring very well. Pretty insane he's given up only 1 goal to anyone's line on this list.

VS	Line	VS Team	TOI With	CF% With	GF% With	SCF% With
Frans Nielsen	3rd	DET	18.867	50	-	60
Derek Ryan	4th	CAR	18.25	44.44	100	47.62
Mathew Barzal	2nd	NYI	18.067	54.29	100	59.26
Jonathan Drouin	1st	MTL	17.583	70.37	100	66.67
Derick Brassard	2nd	OTT	17.233	75	100	71.43
Jordan Eberle	2nd	NYI	15.633	42.86	100	50
Nick Schmaltz	1st	CHI	14.883	62.07	50	66.67
Nazem Kadri	2nd	TOR	13.733	19.05	100	16.67
Victor Rask	2nd	CAR	13.583	40.91	-	50
Dylan Larkin	2nd	DET	13.367	53.85	100	72.73
Henrik Zetterberg	1st	DET	13.2	65.63	100	65

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Top 18 D (no reason) he's faced. Harder to guess pairings because a lot have moved around since beginning of season, especially Carolina. Super impressive against Karlsson. Doesn't lose to anybody often, only pair that really gave him trouble was Slavin- Faulk. Pretty wild that he's only been on ice for 4 goals against, against these 18 guys. Speaks to him and the quality of the Bruins.

VS	Pair	VS Team	TOI With	CF% With	GF% With	SCF% With
Erik Karlsson	1st	OTT	22.6	62.16	100	62.5
Mike Green	2nd	DET	20.73333	72.97	100	83.33
Thomas Chabot	1st	OTT	19.88333	65.38	-	60
Danny DeKeyser	2nd	DET	19.21667	61.76	100	71.43
Niklas Kronwall	2nd	DET	18.3	70.59	100	71.43
David Schlemko	3rd	MTL	17.78333	50	50	46.15
Jaccob Slavin	1st	CAR	17.65	26.67	100	28.57
Rasmus Ristolainen	1st	BUF	17.15	69.44	33.33	78.57
Brett Pesce	1st	CAR	17.1	48.57	100	58.82
Alex Pietrangelo	1st	STL	17.08333	75	100	85.71
Trevor van Riemsdyk	2nd	CAR	17.05	42.31	-	41.67
Haydn Fleury	2nd	CAR	17.01667	38.71	100	37.5
Jakub Jerabek	3rd	MTL	16.65	47.06	-	68.75
Victor Mete	2nd	MTL	15.9	52	50	46.15
Ryan Pulock	3rd	NYI	15.88333	46.15	-	57.14
Jordie Benn	1st	MTL	15.41667	52.78	-	61.9
Trevor Daley	1st	DET	15.13333	45.71	100	58.82
Justin Faulk	1st	CAR	15.1	28	100	28.57

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

None of this is gospel, but the takeaway should be is he plays top/good competition most of the time and still fares extremely well. I think the past couple of weeks have shown he can certainly handle being higher in the lineup.

Actually most impressive thing to me is that Erik Karlsson has 37% scoring chance for with Grzelcyk on the ice and 60% with him off the ice vs Bruins. That is wild.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Bruins really need this kid back and healthy. Having him missing from the lineup leaves a bigger hole than I could have imagined even 6 months ago. His ability to quickly retrieve & transition is probably best on the team. I think McAvoy is right behind him. Krug is obviously good at that too, but is more prone to bonehead plays trying to do too much from time to time. (not a knock on Krug as IMO he is elite in some other areas). Gryz's ability to negate the Leafs forecheck with his speed & quick passing was really missed in game 3. Additionally I thought the Bruins were overly cautious about line changes & had way to many instances where they'd go D to D while the forwards changed only to give the Leafs D time to set up & defend. Gryz might have been able to help with that too.

Watching this kid the last couple months it dawned on me who he reminds me of the most: Duncan Keith. I'm not saying he's elite like Keith, but when Gryz is on he can totally eliminate the opposing forecheck by retrieving the puck & pushing the pace in a way that Keith did against the Bruins in 2013. Going into that series I had no idea what was so great about Keith & then over 6 games I saw him continuously erase any forechecking pressure by calmly getting the puck out of the zone & Gryz often does the same for the Bruins.

 

[Colt.45Orr]

He is very similar to Jared Spurgeon in how he skates, avoids forecheckers and moves the puck. He doesn't have the offensive instincts (at the pro level, so far) but there are many similarities in how they play within their 5'9 frames.

 

[rocketdan9]

Must lock ups Grz, Carlo, Kuraly, Debrusk

Starting with Grz and Kuraly in the offseason

Grz 3 years 6 million
Kuraly 3-4 year at 1.5 million per season

 

[Ron Quixote]

Need Grzz back in the lineup - STAT!

 

[Montecristo]

The impact grzcelyk has on Miller is just as important as himself. They know how to plat together, Miller and Krug do not

 

[gvkmedia]

i am really surprised how valuable Griz has become to our team. He brings so much speed and movement to our back end. It's amazing. I hope he can slot back in on Thursday.

 

[Dueling Banjos]

i am really surprised how valuable Griz has become to our team. He brings so much speed and movement to our back end. It's amazing. I hope he can slot back in on Thursday.

This is it. And it tells a lot about the organisation here, we don't suck for years and operate 3 years in a row with top 3 picks, we scout and develop. Much more respectable over a long period of time. Underrated way.

 

[rocketdan9]

i am really surprised how valuable Griz has become to our team. He brings so much speed and movement to our back end. It's amazing. I hope he can slot back in on Thursday.

Grz and Carlo speed at the backend is underrated

Leafs plan right now? Slow high dump and chase and beat the Ds/or harass them to the puck. And its worked. Bruins were hemmed in ALOT yesterday. In addition Cassidy likes to incorp Ds joining rushes/pinching along the boards on the offensive. There was alot less of this/got burnt yesterday

 

[Mainehockey33]

He was great last night, made some great passes including the assist on Kuraly’s goal. He should be in the top 4 next year.

 

[rocketdan9]

He was great last night, made some great passes including the assist on Kuraly’s goal. He should be in the top 4 next year.

At this rate Cassidy should be playing Grz and 4th line more

 

[Mainehockey33]

At this rate Cassidy should be playing Grz and 4th line more

That play he made along the boards in the offensive zone to keep the puck alive that Pastrnak missed at the point was so slick. As good as Krug is offensively, I feel safer with Grizz on the ice because he’s so solid defensively.

 

[BiGBear8]

This is exactly what I would like to see come playoff time.

best D last night he amazes me with his skill[skating] both ends

 

[rocketdan9]

That play he made along the boards in the offensive zone to keep the puck alive that Pastrnak missed at the point was so slick. As good as Krug is offensively, I feel safer with Grizz on the ice because he’s so solid defensively.

best D last night he amazes me with his skill[skating] both ends

Also top notch decision making

you rarely see him getting burnt. Even when he takes chances

 

[Chief Nine]

Haven’t heard much talk about this kid which is a very good thing considering this is his first NHL playoff experience. He’s been solid as usual which is why he’s not getting any attention.

I think as his confidence grows we’ll see more offensive production from him. So far, he’s really done well

 

[s3antana5757]

Haven’t heard much talk about this kid which is a very good thing considering this is his first NHL playoff experience. He’s been solid as usual which is why he’s not getting any attention.

I think as his confidence grows we’ll see more offensive production from him. So far, he’s really done well

He's been by far the best partner for McQ, which is saying something. I hope he gets a long-term deal this off-season.

 

[Chief Nine]

He's been by far the best partner for McQ, which is saying something. I hope he gets a long-term deal this off-season.

Don’t think that will be an issue!

 

[Dellstrom]

Haven’t heard much talk about this kid which is a very good thing considering this is his first NHL playoff experience. He’s been solid as usual which is why he’s not getting any attention.

I think as his confidence grows we’ll see more offensive production from him. So far, he’s really done well

Absolutely! The best thing to hear about a kid like him in the playoffs is absolutely nothing. No one is complaining... he's a natural.

Been really surprised with him all season, he's really turned himself into a big piece for this team. He's been doing the right thing, learn the game physically/defensively before you start showcasing your offensive skill. He'll have a breakout stretch/season soon.