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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 2024-25. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Owen Power BUF · 40 P in 79 GP Cam Fowler STL · 40 P in 68 GP Jake Walman EDM · 40 P in 65 GP Dougie Hamilton NJD · 40 P in 64 GP Morgan Rielly TOR · 41 P in 82 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

2024-25 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 1 39 40 -6 16 94 43 0.49 1.1 20:37

Contract

$2.75MCap hitends in 2025, then UFA
$69KCap dollars per point40 points in 82 games
$3.674MCap dollars per goal above replacement0.7 goals above replacement
$1.3MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$1.4MValueworth 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. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 698 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jul 1, 2024, as a new contract: 1 year and $2.75M, beginning in 2024-25. It runs through 2024-25, so this is its last season, after which he is an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2024-25 $2.75M $2.75M $0 $2.75M

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 2024-25 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.

2024-25 analytics

Rating

+0.7Goals above replacement474th of 698 skaters, 157th of 242 defencemen
+0.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-4.9Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 242 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-2.3 26th percentileEven-strength defence-2.3 15th percentilePower play-0.5 18th percentilePenalty kill+0.5 86th percentilePenalties-0.3 62nd 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.

-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

49.9Corsi for %1421 attempts for, 1427 against
-1.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.5Expected goals for %53.8 expected for, 61.9 against
-3.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
48.8Goals for %63 for, 66 against
100.1PDO9.6% shooting + 90.5% saves
207Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 598 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
Erik Karlsson · Matt Grzelcyk77690:0150.246.238-30
Kris Letang · Matt Grzelcyk60531:3649.045.718-26
Matt Grzelcyk · Ryan Graves2459:5757.054.13-3
Matt Grzelcyk · Jack St. Ivany940:1044.942.42-2

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.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
4.4Expected goalsfrom 160 unblocked attempts
-3.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.16 expected goals per 60 minutes42nd
Shot quality 2.8% chance per attempt41st
Finishing -3.4 goals above expected2ndOne 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.

01234Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Expected 4.4Goals 1

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 17, 2025 vs WSH W 5-2 0 2 2 3 0 1 2 22:25
Apr 13, 2025 vs BOS L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 24:25
Apr 11, 2025 @ NJD W 4-2 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 19:51
Apr 8, 2025 vs CHI W 5-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 20:46
Apr 6, 2025 @ CHI L 1-3 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 23:07
Apr 5, 2025 @ DAL W 5-3 0 0 0 2 0 5 2 24:04
Apr 3, 2025 @ STL L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 2 0 21:21
Mar 30, 2025 vs OTT W 1-0 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 21:23
Mar 27, 2025 @ BUF L 3-7 0 1 1 -3 0 1 0 23:12
Mar 25, 2025 @ TBL L 1-6 0 1 1 -2 0 0 2 20:00
Mar 23, 2025 @ FLA L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 23:32
Mar 21, 2025 vs CBJ W 6-3 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 22:34
Mar 18, 2025 vs NYI L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 21:26
Mar 15, 2025 vs NJD W 7-3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 23:10
Mar 13, 2025 vs STL W 5-3 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 24:47
Mar 11, 2025 vs VGK W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 23:46
Mar 9, 2025 @ MIN W 3-1 0 1 1 2 2 0 1 19:19
Mar 7, 2025 @ VGK L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21:14
Mar 4, 2025 @ COL L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 21:08
Mar 2, 2025 vs TOR L 5-6 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 22:24
Mar 1, 2025 vs BOS L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 24:10
Feb 27, 2025 vs PHI W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 3 0 3 3 22:44
Feb 25, 2025 @ PHI L 1-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 17:48
Feb 23, 2025 vs NYR L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 05:00
Feb 22, 2025 vs WSH L 3-8 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 19:03
Feb 8, 2025 @ PHI L 2-3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 20:00
Feb 7, 2025 @ NYR W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 19:29
Feb 4, 2025 vs NJD L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 24:32
Feb 1, 2025 vs NSH W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 20:56
Jan 29, 2025 @ UTA W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 21:30
Jan 27, 2025 @ SJS L 1-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 20:46
Jan 25, 2025 @ SEA L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 19:21
Jan 23, 2025 @ ANA L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 21:38
Jan 20, 2025 @ LAK W 5-1 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 18:14
Jan 18, 2025 @ WSH L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:24
Jan 17, 2025 @ BUF W 5-2 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 24:07
Jan 14, 2025 vs SEA L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 19:57
Jan 12, 2025 vs TBL L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 18:47
Jan 11, 2025 vs OTT L 0-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 21:14
Jan 9, 2025 vs EDM W 5-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 18:51
Jan 7, 2025 vs CBJ L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 22:39
Jan 5, 2025 @ CAR L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 20:47
Jan 3, 2025 @ FLA L 2-3 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 19:44
Dec 31, 2024 @ DET L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 21:37
Dec 29, 2024 vs NYI W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 20:15
Dec 28, 2024 @ NYI L 3-6 0 1 1 -2 0 1 0 20:04
Dec 23, 2024 vs PHI W 7-3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 19:54
Dec 21, 2024 @ NJD L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 25:09
Dec 19, 2024 @ NSH W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 19:42
Dec 17, 2024 vs LAK W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 5 1 22:13
Dec 14, 2024 @ OTT L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 24:11
Dec 12, 2024 @ MTL W 9-2 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 17:24
Dec 10, 2024 vs COL L 2-6 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 19:38
Dec 7, 2024 vs TOR W 5-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 17:57
Dec 6, 2024 @ NYR L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:22
Dec 3, 2024 vs FLA W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 19:58
Nov 30, 2024 vs CGY W 6-2 0 2 2 -1 0 2 0 20:33
Nov 29, 2024 @ BOS W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:54
Nov 27, 2024 vs VAN W 5-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 15:34
Nov 23, 2024 vs UTA L 1-6 0 0 0 -2 2 3 1 18:36
Nov 22, 2024 vs WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:45
Nov 19, 2024 vs TBL L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 1 0 17:09
Nov 16, 2024 vs SJS W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 21:16
Nov 15, 2024 @ CBJ L 2-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17:30
Nov 13, 2024 vs DET L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 20:49
Nov 11, 2024 vs DAL L 1-7 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 17:58
Nov 8, 2024 @ WSH W 4-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 18:16
Nov 7, 2024 @ CAR L 1-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 23:22
Nov 5, 2024 @ NYI L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 21:43
Nov 2, 2024 vs MTL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 19:56
Oct 31, 2024 vs ANA W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 21:30
Oct 29, 2024 vs MIN L 3-5 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 18:24
Oct 26, 2024 @ VAN L 3-4 0 1 1 -2 0 1 0 18:05
Oct 25, 2024 @ EDM L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 21:06
Oct 22, 2024 @ CGY L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 19:06
Oct 20, 2024 @ WPG L 3-6 0 0 0 -2 0 4 1 21:10
Oct 18, 2024 vs CAR L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 18:29
Oct 16, 2024 vs BUF W 6-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 20:55
Oct 14, 2024 @ MTL W 6-3 0 2 2 2 0 2 1 20:53
Oct 12, 2024 @ TOR L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 21:58
Oct 10, 2024 @ DET W 6-3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 19:31
Oct 9, 2024 vs NYR L 0-6 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 20:44