Ahead of the 2025-26 training camp, the Chicago Blackhawks signed veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a PTO. He took that opportunity and ran with it. Grzelcyk earned a spot on the roster and has played in every Blackhawks game so far. Through 57 games with Chicago, Grzelcyk has 12 assists. Whether it's playing a depth defensive role or quarterbacking one of the power play units, he gives great effort in whatever role Jeff Blashill asks of him. Before coming to Chicago, Grzelcyk had a nice career playing on some great teams. The truth is, though, that he needed a PTO to stay in the league this year. To say he's grateful for his current organization would be an understatement. "I'm lucky to still be in the league and lucky that Chicago gave me a chance. I love it here so far," Matt Grzelcyk said of playing for the Blackhawks. It isn't likely that they are going to be a postseason team, but Grzelcyk confirmed that it is still his mindset to make it with Chicago and hasn't considered being traded to a contender. "I honestly haven't really thought about [being moved] at all," Grzelcyk said when asked about welcoming an opportunity to move on and try to compete for the Stanley Cup. When Grzelcyk arrived at camp on a PTO, nobody had any idea what the year could turn into for him. He was desperate to stay in the league, and now he's an important piece on Chicago's blue line. "I just wanted to come to camp and see what happens over two weeks," Grzelcyk said. "I chose [Chicago] because I wanted to be here, and I'm glad it's worked out. I've had a lot of fun this year getting to meet everyone on the team and in the organization. They treated me extremely well, so it's been a great experience so far." From a Blackhawks standpoint, Grzelcyk brings a lot of wisdom to this young group. He has played with some of the game's all-time great leaders like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Sidney Crosby. This history has allowed him to come in and bring some of that knowledge to players looking to learn. "A lot of the young guys have questions about those guys. You learn through experience, getting to see them, how they operate, their day-to-day, how they approach every single day [trying] to get better at some aspect of their game, and the way they take care of their bodies. That was a very eye-opening experience, so I try to pay that forward. You want to lead by example as much as you can." Matt Grzelcyk is very into Boston University as an alumnus. With Ryan Greene, a fellow alumnus, on the team and Sacha Boisvert on the way, this program means a lot to the modern-day Blackhawks. "I train there in the summer, so I'm really tight with some of the coaches there," Grzelcyk said. "I had them all with the Bruins. Their trainer was my assistant with the Bruins, as well. He trains me in the summer, and before I went on PTO here, I skated with them for two weeks, so I got to know some of the guys on the team. It's been fun to keep up with them and just wish them luck." There is a squat rack in BU's gym named after Matt Grzelcyk. Alongside some of his fellow alumni, they had equipment named after them as a thank you for donating money to help make upgrades to the gym. "It was mostly guys who train there in the summer. We get to use the equipment in the summer. They didn't really ask us; it was something we wanted to do. You see the benefits of it, so it's been great." Grzelcyk confirmed that he keeps in touch with a lot of his old teammates from BU, the Bruins, and the Penguins, which shows how liked he was as a teammate everywhere he goes. There is value to having a guy of his charachter around. There are a lot of ways that the rest of the season can go for Grzelcyk, but his impact on the young players in Chicago's locker room will be felt for a long time. He is one of the good guys in the NHL, and the Blackhawks are better for having him around. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d03ec460-83f7-416a-82c8-84417d026e16.jpeg] Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/] team site to stay updated on the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-newshttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news], game-day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/game-dayhttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/game-day] coverage, player features [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/playershttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/players], and more. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
