Last March, in the minutes following a dramatic, last-minute victory over the Panthers, Bruce Cassidy couldn’t exactly pin down what was more surprising, the manner in which Boston scrapped together two points — scoring a pair of goals in the final minute of regulation — or who was responsible for providing said offense.
In particular, the equalizer from Matt Grzelcyk — his first tally in over fourth months — stood as a surprise to the B’s bench boss, with the BU product uncorking a one-time bomb that sailed high and into the twine of Florida’s net.
“I watch the D shoot the puck at the end of practice, and I didn’t think he could raise it,” Cassidy joked postgame. “I’ve been watching him for two years and bang! It’s bar down. I tease him about that, obviously, but he’s that guy that would rather shoot for tips, rightfully so, and make a pass, but he’s shown he’s worked on his shot. I mean, he blew it by him and saw there was traffic, so good for him. He’s a good offensive player, more of a passer than a shooter.”
For a player tabbed as an offensive playmaker from the blue line, Grzelcyk doesn’t exactly fit the same profile as someone like Torey Krug. Whereas Krug is more than willing to throw his weight around and make opposing defenses pay with a heavy, accurate shot, Grzelcyk relies more on his passing, quick feet and an active stick to disrupt the opposition and generate quality looks in the O-zone.
But that doesn’t mean the Charlestown native can't fire in bullets when the opportunity presents itself.
Cassidy might have joked about the firepower on Grzelcyk's stick eight months ago, but New Jersey netminder Mackenzie Blackwood wasn't laughing all that much on Tuesday.
Skating in place of an injured Torey Krug on Boston's second defensive pairing for the fourth straight game, Grzelcyk picked up the slack as far as 5v5 scoring goes — tallying his first two goals of the season in what was a convincing 5-1 victory for the Bruins against the Devils. It was an eye-opening performance from Grzelcyk, with the 25-year-old defenseman showcasing more and more of the offensive strides he's taken in what stands as his third full season up in the NHL ranks.
Both goals came from just about the same spot — 30 feet away from Blackwood — and about 15 feet closer than his average shot distance this season.
Of course, whether it was 15 feet / 30 feet / 40 feet, odds are that Blackwood would have struggled to get a glove on either of Grzelcyk's attempts. The second goal, struck at 10:33 in the third period, was especially a thing of beauty, as Grzelcyk danced around P.K. Subban at the offensive blue line before skating in alone on Blackwood. Before Will Butcher could get in a position to get in front of the puck, Grzelcyk snapped the biscuit past Blackwood's glove to make it a 4-1 game.
“He was hot," David Pastrnak said of Grzelcyk. "Just some amazing goals, especially the second one. … He was feeling it.”
While Krug has a chance to return later this week from an upper-body injury he suffered back on Nov. 10, the heavier minutes bestowed to Grzelcyk hasn't hurt Boston much, at least when it comes to 5v5 play.
The power play has been a bit more of a hurdle, with Boston only cashing in on two of its eight 5v4 chances since Grzelcyk has filled in for Krug on the PP1 unit. Still, Cassidy hasn't often put Grzelcyk at fault for Boston's recent 5v4 "skid", if you even want to label it as such. Whereas Krug is at his best when in motion on the power play, Grzelcyk has often remained up high on the blue line, tasked more with distributing the puck and keep possessions alive – rather than asked to get the gears turning down low.
"He’s not Torey yet, offensively," Cassidy said on Saturday of Grzelcyk. "Is there a chance down the road he could be? We’re all hoping that. But he certainly has the ability to get up the ice and make plays. We’ve seen that with Grizz. He made a great play to Coyle the other night, a back-door tap-in, that just hopped over Charlie’s stick. That’s a Krug-like play. So far on the power play, he’s done what he’s asked to do, which is direct it to those two elbow guys, help on the entries. … He’s bringing some of what Torey brings, for sure, right now.”
Even when Krug is given the green light to return and is handed the keys to the power play once again, Grzelcyk's improved shot should give an already skilled B's blue line another dangerous weapon, beyond the usual breakout acumen that has been a hallmark of Grzelcyk's game for some time now.
Tuesday might have stood as Grzelcyk's first tallies of the 2019-20 campaign, but the young defenseman is showing much more of a willingness to test that improved shot when a lane is available. After averaging 4.51 individual shots per 60 minutes of play last season, that number has risen to 5.55 this year for Grzelcyk — tops among all B's defensemen.
Already armed with a keen hockey sense, adding an accurate and deadly shot to Grzelcyk's arsenal could be a major coup for Boston's D corps — as evidenced by his quick strike in the first period against New Jersey.
The topic of conversation when it comes to the growth in Grzelcyk's game often tends to gravitate towards the elephant in the room — Krug and his impending free-agent status.
At this point, it seems rather cut and dry.
The Bruins want Torey Krug back. Torey Krug wants to be in Boston. Ideally, they find some common ground on a new deal. But if Krug wants to test the open market and cashes in on a mega-deal, Grzelcyk is indeed waiting in the wings.
Will the power play be as effective? Likely not. But far from rudderless — as a 5v4 unit featuring Grzelcyk, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak last season still tallied six goals and held a 16-2 edge in hi-danger chances in just 30:34 of ice time together.
Those are promising numbers in 2018-19. Given his upwards trajectory, just imagine what a 2020-21 Grzelcyk could offer.
Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick & Sean Tierney.