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Matt Grzelcyk

#24 · Defence · Buffalo Sabres

Born Jan 5, 1994 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA (age 32) · 5'10", 180 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 85th overall in 2012 by BOS (round 3)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Alec Martinez LAK · 18 P in 60 GP Jonas Brodin MIN · 18 P in 82 GP Devon Toews NYI · 18 P in 48 GP Zach Bogosian BUF · 19 P in 65 GP Travis Dermott TOR · 17 P in 64 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0102030402016-17: 0 points016-172017-18: 15 points1517-182018-19: 18 points1818-192019-20: 21 points2119-202020-21: 20 points2020-212021-22: 24 points2421-222022-23: 26 points2622-232023-24: 11 points1123-242024-25: 40 points4024-252025-26: 12 points1225-262026-27: 0 points026-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2016-17 BOS 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0.00 $859K
2017-18 BOS 61 3 12 15 21 22 82 45 0.25 $859K
2018-19 BOS 66 3 15 18 9 68 90 46 0.27 $1.4M
2019-20 BOS 68 4 17 21 15 34 112 56 0.31 $1.4M
2020-21 BOS 37 5 15 20 11 22 80 19 0.54 $3.688M
2021-22 BOS 73 4 20 24 22 24 118 40 0.33 $3.688M
2022-23 BOS 75 4 22 26 46 28 102 51 0.35 $3.688M
2023-24 BOS 63 2 9 11 13 37 59 53 0.17 $3.688M
2024-25 PIT 82 1 39 40 -6 16 94 43 0.49 $2.75M
2025-26 CHI 69 0 12 12 -9 32 68 28 0.17 $1M
2026-27 BUF 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0.00 $850K
11 seasons Career 597 26 161 187 121 285 809 381 0.31

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2017-18 BOS 11 0 1 1 -2 4 8 12 0.09
2018-19 BOS 20 4 4 8 -3 6 35 18 0.40
2019-20 BOS 10 0 1 1 -4 4 9 16 0.10
2020-21 BOS 11 1 3 4 -2 4 16 5 0.36
2021-22 BOS 5 0 0 0 -6 6 3 3 0.00
2022-23 BOS 4 0 0 0 -1 0 6 3 0.00
2023-24 BOS 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 7 0.00
7 seasons Playoffs 64 5 9 14 -18 26 80 64 0.22

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
66 3 15 18 9 68 90 46 0.27 3.3 19:08

Contract

$1.4MCap hitends in 2020
$78KCap dollars per point18 points in 66 games
-$687KWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$2.1MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 696 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Boston Bruins on Jun 15, 2018, as an extension of the contract he was on: 2 years and $2.8M, beginning in 2018-19. It runs through 2019-20, with 1 season left after this one.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2018-19 $1.4M $1.4M $0 $1.4M
2019-20 $1.4M $1.4M $0 $1.4M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 25, 2026 Buffalo Sabres New contract 2026-27 to 2026-27 1 $850K $850K
Oct 5, 2025 Chicago Blackhawks New contract 2025-26 to 2025-26 1 $1M $1M
Jul 1, 2024 Pittsburgh Penguins New contract 2024-25 to 2024-25 1 $2.75M $2.75M
Oct 17, 2020 Boston Bruins New contract 2020-21 to 2023-24 4 $14.75M $3.688M
Jun 15, 2018 Boston Bruins Extension 2018-19 to 2019-20 2 $2.8M $1.4M
Apr 1, 2016 Boston Bruins Entry-level 2016-17 to 2017-18 2 $1.85M $859K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2018-19 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2018-19 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

-1.9Goals above replacement634th of 699 skaters, 211th of 244 defencemen
-0.3Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-6.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 244 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-4.4 7th percentileEven-strength defence+0.5 57th percentilePower play-0.3 23rd percentilePenalty kill+0.1 59th percentilePenalties-1.9 13th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-505102016-172018-192020-212022-232024-252026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

52.2Corsi for %1001 attempts for, 918 against
-1.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.8Expected goals for %40.2 expected for, 38.9 against
-3.7xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
52.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
56.1Goals for %37 for, 29 against
100.7PDO6.6% shooting + 94.1% saves
166Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Kevan Miller · Matt Grzelcyk30360:0750.646.113-9
Matt Grzelcyk · Charlie McAvoy38195:2155.761.810-8
John Moore · Matt Grzelcyk28157:4047.038.63-5
Matt Grzelcyk · Brandon Carlo46112:4753.461.65-2

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

3Goalsnot counting empty-netters
3.8Expected goalsfrom 135 unblocked attempts
-0.8Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.18 expected goals per 60 minutes40th
Shot quality 2.8% chance per attempt36th
Finishing -0.8 goals above expected37thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 244 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0123Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 3.8Goals 3

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 6, 2019 vs TBL L 3-6 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 19:51
Apr 4, 2019 @ MIN W 3-0 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 23:02
Apr 2, 2019 @ CBJ W 6-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21:52
Mar 31, 2019 @ DET L 3-6 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 17:24
Mar 30, 2019 vs FLA L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 13:32
Mar 10, 2019 @ PIT L 2-4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 05:57
Mar 9, 2019 vs OTT W 3-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 16:52
Mar 7, 2019 vs FLA W 4-3 1 0 1 0 2 1 2 14:25
Mar 5, 2019 vs CAR W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 13:31
Mar 2, 2019 vs NJD W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 16:06
Feb 28, 2019 vs TBL W 4-1 0 0 0 -1 2 0 1 18:15
Feb 26, 2019 vs SJS W 4-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 16:55
Feb 23, 2019 @ STL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 19:03
Feb 20, 2019 @ VGK W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 21:11
Feb 18, 2019 @ SJS W 6-5 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 19:31
Feb 16, 2019 @ LAK W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 2 3 0 17:17
Feb 6, 2019 @ NYR L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 22:02
Feb 5, 2019 vs NYI W 3-1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 15:20
Feb 3, 2019 @ WSH W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 15:50
Jan 29, 2019 vs WPG L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 19:58
Jan 19, 2019 vs NYR L 2-3 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 17:36
Jan 16, 2019 @ PHI L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 5 1 20:27
Jan 14, 2019 vs MTL L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 6 0 22:29
Jan 12, 2019 @ TOR W 3-2 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 15:15
Jan 10, 2019 vs WSH L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 19:19
Jan 8, 2019 vs MIN W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 16:51
Jan 5, 2019 vs BUF W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 20:30
Jan 3, 2019 vs CGY W 6-4 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 13:54
Jan 1, 2019 @ CHI W 4-2 0 1 1 1 4 0 1 18:53
Dec 29, 2018 @ BUF W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 21:20
Dec 27, 2018 vs NJD L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 20:31
Dec 23, 2018 @ CAR L 3-5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 13:48
Dec 22, 2018 vs NSH W 5-2 0 0 0 2 4 1 1 19:59
Dec 20, 2018 vs ANA W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 20:10
Dec 17, 2018 @ MTL W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:54
Dec 16, 2018 vs BUF L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 17:58
Dec 14, 2018 @ PIT L 3-5 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 20:54
Dec 11, 2018 vs ARI W 4-3 0 0 0 3 2 2 4 21:07
Dec 9, 2018 @ OTT W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 19:06
Dec 8, 2018 vs TOR W 6-3 0 1 1 3 30 0 0 18:37
Dec 6, 2018 @ TBL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:37
Dec 4, 2018 @ FLA L 0-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19:57
Dec 1, 2018 vs DET L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20:46
Nov 29, 2018 vs NYI W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 21:53
Nov 26, 2018 @ TOR L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 22:08
Nov 24, 2018 @ MTL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 21:22
Nov 23, 2018 vs PIT W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 23:26
Nov 21, 2018 @ DET L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 21:34
Nov 17, 2018 @ ARI W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 22:53
Nov 16, 2018 @ DAL L 0-1 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 25:27
Nov 14, 2018 @ COL L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 24:49
Nov 11, 2018 vs VGK W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 18:57
Nov 10, 2018 vs TOR W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 22:33
Nov 8, 2018 vs VAN L 5-8 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 16:57
Nov 5, 2018 vs DAL W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17:35
Oct 27, 2018 vs MTL L 0-3 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 22:16
Oct 25, 2018 vs PHI W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20:02
Oct 23, 2018 @ OTT W 4-1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 17:50
Oct 20, 2018 @ VAN L 1-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 21:07
Oct 18, 2018 @ EDM L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 18:43
Oct 17, 2018 @ CGY L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 20:14
Oct 13, 2018 vs DET W 8-2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 20:42
Oct 11, 2018 vs EDM W 4-1 0 2 2 0 0 1 2 18:57
Oct 8, 2018 vs OTT W 6-3 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 20:46
Oct 4, 2018 @ BUF W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15:28
Oct 3, 2018 @ WSH L 0-7 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 22:08