Report: Blackhawks sign Matt Grzelcyk to professional tryout

One of the top available players is going to try his luck in the Windy City.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Chicago Blackhawks are signing defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a professional tryout.

Grzelyck was one of the top unrestricted free agents remaining heading toward training camp, currently listed second on Daily Faceoff’s UFA board. The 31-year-old was coming off one of his best seasons, individually, of his NHL career. As a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, he scored just one goal, but set career highs in assists (39), points (40) and average time on ice (20:37).

Granted, the team around him wasn’t all that great, as the Penguins finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third year in a row. Grzelcyk also finished with a negative plus/minus (-6) for the first time in his career.

The Charlestown, Mass. native was on a one-year contract in Pittsburgh, with a cap hit of $2.75 million. The Blackhawks certainly have plenty of room to fit in the veteran blueliner. According to PuckPedia, Chicago has over $18.6 million in projected cap space for this coming season.

Grzelcyk could bring some needed experience to what is a very young D-corps in Chicago. Outside of Connor Murphy, 32, no defender listed on the Blackhawks’ active roster is older than 24. Alex Vlasic is the highest-paid rearguard on the team at the moment, with his six-year, $4.6 million AAV contract extension kicking in this season.

Grzelcyk has been a full-time NHLer since getting a break with his hometown Boston Bruins, the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft, in 2017-18. He would play seven seasons in Boston, helping the team get to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, along with setting the league record with 65 wins during the 2022-23 campaign.

In 527 regular-season games, he has scored 26 goals and 149 assists for 175 points, with another 14 points coming in 66 postseason affairs.