Player Discussion Matt Grzelcyk

[Blowfish]

He and Kruger have made the bruins much faster and effective almost forcing the forwards to skate with more purpose and speed. Can’t say enough how much I like this player and the overall D.

 

[ODAAT]

Honestly I`m stumped at why or how he doesn`t seem to produce as much offensively as I think he should?

I`ve put my amateur coaches hat on and I`m at a loss, he has solid instincts in the offensive zone, his shot, when he uses it, tends to be pretty accurate, makes good first passes out of his end too. I understand the team is struggling offensively right now and that explains it currently but when he was with the club last year, he didn`t produce as much as I think he could

Please don`t take what I said as a complaint, this kid is one I root for, undersized, busts his arse, has his shortcomings defensively but like Krug, those shortcomings are something he can`t fix in his physical stature other than building a bit more muscle, there`s always going to be bigger opponents but he positions himself well to defend more often than not

 

[Blowfish]

Honestly I`m stumped at why or how he doesn`t seem to produce as much offensively as I think he should?

I`ve put my amateur coaches hat on and I`m at a loss, he has solid instincts in the offensive zone, his shot, when he uses it, tends to be pretty accurate, makes good first passes out of his end too. I understand the team is struggling offensively right now and that explains it currently but when he was with the club last year, he didn`t produce as much as I think he could

Please don`t take what I said as a complaint, this kid is one I root for, undersized, busts his arse, has his shortcomings defensively but like Krug, those shortcomings are something he can`t fix in his physical stature other than building a bit more muscle, there`s always going to be bigger opponents but he positions himself well to defend more often than not

Backes heinen bjork have combined 3 points something like that. He can’t produce more because of their suckage

 

[ODAAT]

Backes heinen bjork have combined 3 points something like that. He can’t produce more because of their suckage

I understand and stated as much, but last year when the power outage wasn`t there with the forwards, he didn`t produce a ton either. I really like the kid, just wondering why he doesn`t produce as much as I think he`s capable of? I know it sounds like a knock but it`s not

 

[False Start]

Honestly I`m stumped at why or how he doesn`t seem to produce as much offensively as I think he should?

I`ve put my amateur coaches hat on and I`m at a loss, he has solid instincts in the offensive zone, his shot, when he uses it, tends to be pretty accurate, makes good first passes out of his end too. I understand the team is struggling offensively right now and that explains it currently but when he was with the club last year, he didn`t produce as much as I think he could

Please don`t take what I said as a complaint, this kid is one I root for, undersized, busts his arse, has his shortcomings defensively but like Krug, those shortcomings are something he can`t fix in his physical stature other than building a bit more muscle, there`s always going to be bigger opponents but he positions himself well to defend more often than not

His shot is a muffin. Just very average. Offensively he just defers a lot to the forwards. He'll pinch appropriately but look to dish it off, he's a pass first kind of player who has very solid hands to maneuver around people.

Krug just has that it factor when it comes to being a very good PP QB. Part of that is due to his ability to score from almost anywhere on the ice. Grzelyck just needs to be more confident and assert himself into the play more if he ever wants to score at a higher clip.

 

[DKH]

Sitting on the glass where Bruins defend I get to hone in on the defense and Grzelcyk sees the game so well. He’s such a gamer - so smart makes quick reads

In my 35 years going to games he’s on my all underrated Bruins team

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

Sitting on the glass where Bruins defend I get to hone in on the defense and Grzelcyk sees the game so well. He’s such a gamer - so smart makes quick reads

In my 35 years going to games he’s on my all underrated Bruins team

Have a feeling he may be trade bait. Love what he brings. Small space magician with the puck

 

[neelynugs]

Sitting on the glass where Bruins defend I get to hone in on the defense and Grzelcyk sees the game so well. He’s such a gamer - so smart makes quick reads

In my 35 years going to games he’s on my all underrated Bruins team

gryz goes on my all-time whiff list. sort of like a reverse kalus (i had him as a 30 goal power forward, easy).
didn't think #48 would ever be a regular in the NHL, forget about a key piece. his IQ and quickness is on
display on every shift. love this guy.

 

[DKH]

gryz goes on my all-time whiff list. sort of like a reverse kalus (i had him as a 30 goal power forward, easy).
didn't think #48 would ever be a regular in the NHL, forget about a key piece. his IQ and quickness is on
display on every shift. love this guy.

It’s a joke what they pay him as well

 

[neelynugs]

It’s a joke what they pay him as well

he's on pace for 40+ points this year, so assume he won't be underpaid for too long. nice contract
for next 2 years, big win for your guy donny.

 

[PB37]

He's getting his break and picking up the points on the stat sheet. Nice to see his good play get rewarded - huge fan of his, but I didn't think he could break 40 points in the NHL and would be more of a puck moving blueliner instead of one that could produce. I hope he keeps it up!

 

[Tampbear]

Man I really love this kid, he just keeps getting better and I really had zero expectation of him ever making any kind of impact in the NHL. I really love his game too he's such a smart player. I hope he is a Bruin for a long time.

 

[compan]

Have a feeling he may be trade bait. Love what he brings. Small space magician with the puck

Thinking the same with his play on the ice and value against a cap.

I hope they keep him though and next season maybe assess if he could potentially take over for Krug.

 

[veganbruin]

I also had 0 expectations for him and he has done nothing but deserve a regular spot in the Bruins top 6. He better not sit when everyone is healthy(luckily that won’t happen anytime soon)

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

I said it last year and stand by it...he reminds me of Duncan Keith with his smarts and ability to skate the puck out of trouble. Keith's skating and puck carrying was IMO the main reason the Hawks beat the Bruins in 2013 and Grizz often reminds me of watching Keith in that series. Grizz is smaller & doesn't have quite the offensive upside, but they share a lot of the same hockey DNA.

 

[00BW]

The real test for him point wise will come when McAvoy returns. He's been on the PP all year so that is helping his 1/2 PPG rate. If he can, that will be a huge boon for how deep this team can go.

He's also proving he can pair with Chara against the other team's best and they even have him killing penalties.

 

[Mainehockey33]

Grzelcyk was the best defenseman for the Bruins last night, so good with quick transitions and sneaky good on defense. Posters said he wouldn’t come close to Krug offensively, but he’s on pace for 41 points in his second season. Doesn’t look out of place or get exposed playing top pair minutes. I hope he’s a Bruin for years to come.

 

[wintersej]

Grzelcyk was the best defenseman for the Bruins last night, so good with quick transitions and sneaky good on defense. Posters said he wouldn’t come close to Krug offensively, but he’s on pace for 41 points in his second season. Doesn’t look out of place or get exposed playing top pair minutes. I hope he’s a Bruin for years to come.

I hope we don't see a Krug/Grzelcyk pairing again, though. Yikes did they have trouble. I can see Grzelcyk with Chara or McAvoy or Carlo in the top 4, though. There still are teams that will take advantage when both Krug and Grzelcyk are in the lineup. Against most teams those two guys is a strength, though. But, against the best teams?

 

[Mainehockey33]

I hope we don't see a Krug/Grzelcyk pairing again, though. Yikes did they have trouble. I can see Grzelcyk with Chara or McAvoy or Carlo in the top 4, though. There still are teams that will take advantage when both Krug and Grzelcyk are in the lineup. Against most teams those two guys is a strength, though. But, against the best teams?

I agree you can’t have the two hobbits out there together without asking for trouble. Grzelcyk is good defensively but he’s no Carlo, you can’t ask him to cover for a guy like Krug. I’m just saying that given Grzelcyk’s age, overall game, and salary, I hope he’s on the team for awhile. He’s not as good offensively as Krug right now, but he’s better in the other two zones and can be trusted to play anywhere in the lineup (expect with Krug obviously lol).

 

[wintersej]

I agree you can’t have the two hobbits out there together without asking for trouble. Grzelcyk is good defensively but he’s no Carlo, you can’t ask him to cover for a guy like Krug. I’m just saying that given Grzelcyk’s age, overall game, and salary, I hope he’s on the team for awhile. He’s not as good offensively as Krug right now, but he’s better in the other two zones and can be trusted to play anywhere in the lineup (expect with Krug obviously lol).

Krug looks a LOT better than Grzelcyk on PP1 to be honest. The fact that Krug can score from anywhere in the offensive zone is something Grzelcyk will never have and it opens up a lot. Krug is a game changer on the PP. But... I think 5 on 5 matters more come playoff time. But, I also wonder if Grzelcyk can play better than he did last playoffs when the physical intensity ramps up. I am of the opinion that at some point you need to pick one of Krug and Grzelcyk. And I would want to know their value around the league before I choose which one. It wouldn't shock me if Grzelcyk held more trade value because of his contract status.

 

[Mainehockey33]

Krug looks a LOT better than Grzelcyk on PP1 to be honest. The fact that Krug can score from anywhere in the offensive zone is something Grzelcyk will never have and it opens up a lot. Krug is a game changer on the PP. But... I think 5 on 5 matters more come playoff time. But, I also wonder if Grzelcyk can play better than he did last playoffs when the physical intensity ramps up. I am of the opinion that at some point you need to pick one of Krug and Grzelcyk. And I would want to know their value around the league before I choose which one. It wouldn't shock me if Grzelcyk held more trade value because of his contract status.

To me the gap in their offensive games is close enough to the gap in their defensive games. Krug is unreal in the offensive zone, moving the puck around and roaming to find open players. He’s just not nearly as good defending a rush or getting the puck out of his own zone quickly and effectively. Even in the neutral zone I think Grzelcyk is better due to his skating.

The biggest difference in their offensive games right now is Krug’s shot is way better. I think there’s a greater chance Grzelcyk improves his shot than Krug improves his defensive positioning and skating. Plus take their contracts into account and how many players they have to sign soon.

 

[UncleRico]

Have a feeling he may be trade bait. Love what he brings. Small space magician with the puck

I think gryz makes krug trade bait, gryz is making a lot less and will make 1/2 to 1/3 what krug makes on both their next contracts. The powerplay will take a slight hit, but if the bruins move krug for a forward that can replace backes on the powerplay, that can help stabilizing the power play loss of krug.

Krug is without a doubt better offensively, but gryz is better defensively and can still put up some points.

I honestly don’t think krug gets another contract with the bruins consideringwhat his asking price would be, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see krug moved in the off season before he walks for nothing.

 

[wintersej]

To me the gap in their offensive games is close enough to the gap in their defensive games. Krug is unreal in the offensive zone, moving the puck around and roaming to find open players. He’s just not nearly as good defending a rush or getting the puck out of his own zone quickly and effectively. Even in the neutral zone I think Grzelcyk is better due to his skating.

The biggest difference in their offensive games right now is Krug’s shot is way better. I think there’s a greater chance Grzelcyk improves his shot than Krug improves his defensive positioning and skating. Plus take their contracts into account and how many players they have to sign soon.

The only quibble I have... I think that Krug is very good at moving the puck out of the zone. Not as good as Grzelcyk with his feet in doing so, but I think only Grzelcyk and McAvoy are better on the team. In center ice I think Grzelcyk destroys Krug, though. Grzelcyk shuts down so many plays.

BUT, funny thing. I am more confident (because of the unique skill set he brings) that Krug would 1000% have a spot in the lineup as Vaakaneinen, Zboril and Lauzon mature. I am not sure that those guys couldn't beat out Grzelcyk. Vaakaneinen and Zboril are skaters on par with Grzelcyk. Is Grzelcyk that much better to overcome his size compared to those guys?

 

[DKH]

The only quibble I have... I think that Krug is very good at moving the puck out of the zone. Not as good as Grzelcyk with his feet in doing so, but I think only Grzelcyk and McAvoy are better on the team. In center ice I think Grzelcyk destroys Krug, though. Grzelcyk shuts down so many plays.

BUT, funny thing. I am more confident (because of the unique skill set he brings) that Krug would 1000% have a spot in the lineup as Vaakaneinen, Zboril and Lauzon mature. I am not sure that those guys couldn't beat out Grzelcyk. Vaakaneinen and Zboril are skaters on par with Grzelcyk. Is Grzelcyk that much better to overcome his size compared to those guys?

In a healthy lineup on the third pair at home with last change Grzelcyk because of his skills and smarts eats bottom 6 forwards alive

The Grzelcyk-Miller pairing is in the conversation for next third pairing in the league

 

[zaYG]

Grzelcyk plays like Matt Bartkowski's best 2 games but every night.