We are now roughly halfway through the month of July. As a result of this, things have quieted down significantly around the NHL. The majority of this year's unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have signed their new contracts, most of the big names have landed their new contracts. 

While this is the case, there are still a few notable players who should find new homes before the 2025-26 season is here. The best UFA defenseman arguably still available for the taking is former Boston Bruins blueliner Matt Grzelcyk.

With the Bruins already having four NHL-caliber left-shot defensemen on their roster heading into next season, it seems rather unlikely that they would reunite with Grzelcyk at this time. However, other clubs out there could benefit by bringing in the Massachusetts native. 

After signing a one-year, prove-it deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past off-season, Grzelcyk had a solid year. In 82 games, he set new career highs with 39 assists and 40 points, so he certainly provided Pittsburgh with strong offense from the point. Teams looking for more production from their blueline could consider signing Grzelcyk because of it. 

Grzelcyk would probably work best on a team if he is playing on their bottom pairing and given power play time. There are teams around the league who could use help in these areas, so it would not be particularly surprising if Grzelcyk finds a new home in the near future. It will be intriguing to see what teams ends up signing him from here. 

In 445 games over eight seasons with the Bruins, Grzelckyk recorded 25 goals, 110 assists, 135 points, and a plus-137 rating. 

5 Ways Bruins Can Get Back Into Playoffs Next Year There is no sugarcoating it - the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins">Boston Bruins</a>' 2024-25 season was a nightmare. After a busy 2024 off-season, the expectation was that the Bruins would remain a playoff team. However, they were far from it in 2024-25, as they finished the year with a 33-39-10 record and tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference.

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