Penguins sign former Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed former Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year contract worth $2.75 million.
Grzelcyk, 30, appeared in 63 games last season and scored 11 points (two goals, nine assists) while averaging 17 minutes, 35 seconds of ice time.
During the postseason, Grzelcyk played in only three games with no points and an average of 18:10 of ice time per contest. In the Bruins’ final 11 games of the playoffs, Grzelcyk was a healthy scratch for 10.
A third-round draft pick (No. 85 overall) in 2012, Grzelcyk (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) has spent his entire eight-year NHL career with the Bruins until this point. The Charlestown, Mass., native just completed a four-year contract with a salary cap hit of $3,687,500.
The arrival of Grzelcyk certainly puts the future of incumbent Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph’s future in question. On Sunday, the Penguins declined to extend a qualifying offer to the left-handed Joseph, a pending restricted free agent. That maneuver allowed Joseph to become an unrestricted free agent Monday.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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