Former Boston Bruins Defenseman Has Surfaced As A Top Trade Candidate
Photo credit: The Hockey News
The Pittsburgh Penguins season has gone all wrong, as they're 18-20-8 and 6 in the Metropolitan Division. GM Kyle Dubas will have to figure out what to do with defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, as they will be sellers at the trade deadline.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been bottom-feeders the last two seasons, a spectacle none of us would have thought to have seen back in 2016.
With GM Kyle Dubas in charge, the team must consider retooling the lineup to reconstruct a Stanley Cup-contending roster.
One former Bruins defenseman will be a trade candidate in 2025 if the team becomes a seller. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, 31, will be a pending UFA at the end of the season and could be a rental for a contending team that needs veteran help.
Grzelcyk, 31, signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Penguins this past off-season and is a pending unrestricted free agent. Thus, he could be a solid rental for a playoff club that needs help on their left side of their blueline.
His $2.75 Million AAV contract is easily movable and has proven that he's capable of producing at a respectable clip this season.
In 46 games with the Penguins, he's scored 22 points and is set to surpass his career-high of 26 points with the Bruins in 2022-2023.
Grzelcyk has been a fixture on the Penguins second-pairing this season, with partner Erik Karlsson and has been a huge benefit for the team.
In the last ten games, he's averaged 20:39 TOI and has scored 5 points with the team, and 1 power-play point as well.
Head Coach Mike Sullivan also promoted him to the 1st power-play unit.A glowing endorsement if we've ever seen of a defenseman.
What could teams end up paying the Penguins for Gzelcyk? Blackngoldhockey covered this last season quite well.
His $2.75 Million AAV contract is easily movable and has proven that he's capable of producing at a respectable clip this season.
In 46 games with the Penguins, he's scored 22 points and is set to surpass his career-high of 26 points with the Bruins in 2022-2023.
Grzelcyk has been a fixture on the Penguins second-pairing this season, with partner Erik Karlsson and has been a huge benefit for the team.
In the last ten games, he's averaged 20:39 TOI and has scored 5 points with the team, and 1 power-play point as well.
Head Coach Mike Sullivan also promoted him to the 1st power-play unit.A glowing endorsement if we've ever seen of a defenseman.
Grzelcyk's Value
What could teams end up paying the Penguins for Gzelcyk? Blackngoldhockey covered this last season quite well.
So, what could the Boston Bruins acquire in a Grzelcyk trade? Well, I'm glad you asked because NHL teams have a history of overpaying for puck-moving defensemen at the trade deadline. In 2022 the Vancouver Canucks traded a 3rd round pick for Travis Dermott (6-foot, 200 pounds), a mobile defenseman who put up 2-5-7 in 16 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2022: Nashville Predators trade a second-round pick to Seattle for Jeremy Lauzon;
2021: Columbus Blue Jackets trade a second-round pick to Carolina for Jake Bean;
2021: Winnipeg Jets trade a third-round pick to Vancouver for Nate Schmidt in a move most consider a salary dump.
2021: Columbus Blue Jackets trade a second-round pick to Carolina for Jake Bean;
2021: Winnipeg Jets trade a third-round pick to Vancouver for Nate Schmidt in a move most consider a salary dump.
If Dubas can extract full value from the puck-moving defenseman, he could secure a decent pick to start the retool much quicker in July.
Does Dubas have the same power to sell a veteran like Grzelcyk come March?
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 17 | 731 ANSWERS Former Boston Bruins Defenseman Has Surfaced As A Top Trade Candidate Will defenseman Matt Grzelcyk of the Pittsburgh Penguins be traded in March? | ||
| Yes | 528 | 72.2 % |
| No | 203 | 27.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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