The Chicago Blackhawks finished their 2025-26 campaign 31st in the league, with a record of 29-39-14 and 72 points. It was an improvement from last season’s totals of 25-46-11 (61 points), but the organization had more progress in mind when they embarked on this campaign. The good news is the Blackhawks finished with more wins and more points than the previous season. They also feel they’ve taken positive strides in the growth and development of a plethora of young players, who could be a big part of a more successful future.
In this summer series, we’ll hand out individual grades to every player on the team. Today, we highlight defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.
Grzelcyk’s Season Stats
0 goals, 12 assists, 12 points, minus-9 in 69 games. Average time on ice (ATOI) of 16:58 minutes
48.0 Corsi For Percentage (CF%), 54 blocked shots, 28 hits, 21 takeaways, 46 giveaways, 32 penalty minutes
Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) this summer
Season Overview
Grzelcyk was an interesting story because after the 32-year-old had a career-high 40 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024-25, he came to the Blackhawks on a PTO (Professional tryout). General manager Kyle Davidson envisioned his addition would bring the needed experience and competition to the roster. He became a staple on the left side of the defense alongside Alex Vlasic and Wyatt Kaiser, and after the trade deadline, his presence was even more significant because his 596 games of NHL experience trumped the entire defense, with Vlasic as the second-most experienced at 260 games.
Head coach Jeff Blashill praised Grzelcyk for bringing a calm, steady presence to a young defense, his versatility- being an option on the power play and penalty kill, and being a great teammate.
On the ice, his defense was fine. He didn’t bring much offense, as he didn’t have any goals, but he didn’t make many egregious mistakes, and he was even an option for them on the second power-play unit when they were shuffling around Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel as the power-play quarterbacks. He was also third among the Blackhawks’ defense in takeaways.
Unfortunately, he suffered an upper-body injury on March 22 and had to miss the final 12 games of the season.
He shared with me at exit interviews about his injury on April 16: “I had my shoulder done about two weeks ago now. Shoulder dislocated against Nashville, and it was kind of nagging me a little bit for, you know, a couple years. I’ve been trying to rehab it. I had the same surgery four years ago on my other shoulder. So, obviously, it’s not fun going through surgery, but at the same time, kind of relieved to… be fully healthy, and by the time training camp comes around, I should be good to go. So, I don’t want to put an exact timeline or anything, but it’s been a really good recovery so far. So, I’m excited to… (be) able to hopefully get going soon.”
It was great to hear that his recovery is going well.
Quotable Quote
Even though Grzelcyk fit in well, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Blackhawks are likely moving on. (from ‘Projecting the Blackhawks’ 2026-27 roster: Who stays and who goes?’- The Athletic- 04/24/2026)
However, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Davidson mentioned targeting a veteran defenseman this summer. Grzelcyk could still be an option, knowing that he knows the team and system, and wouldn’t cost much. According to AFP Analytics, his contract projection is 1 year, $1.993M.
Grzelcyk would also like to return. He said, “Definitely. Yeah. I think, you know, there’s a lot of moving parts, and they (have) kind of a lot to work on, you know, organizationally, and what the team needs next year. But I would love to be back. Not sure how it’s going to shake out, but yeah, I’ve let that (be) known very clearly to them, and I hope they feel the same way.”
He also shared about his Blackhawks tenure,
“Honestly, it’s been some of the most fun I’ve had in the NHL. Just being around the guys and getting to know everyone in the organization. I think, such a first class organization. The way they treat you, and not only as a hockey player, but just off the ice as well. I didn’t really get to spend too much time in Chicago before, but I grew to absolutely love it. Reminded me kind of a lot of home in Boston and I’ve had a blast.
I think from a hockey side too, I think the team… they’re starting to really head in the right direction, and I really believe in… what they’re building here. So, it’s fun to see so many young guys kind of take steps and grow, and not only as players, but as leaders, too. So, it’s fun. I don’t know what’s gonna happen going forward, but I’m excited to see the growth of some of the guys I got close with.”
Final Grade: C+
Blashill said before that flash is great, but substance is more important when commending Grzelcyk’s game and consistency, and that is what he brought. Nothing fancy, but a reliable defenseman.
Even if he ultimately doesn’t return, the Blackhawks will seemingly look back fondly on his short tenure, and Grzelcyk will, too.
Free Newsletter
Get Chicago Blackhawks coverage delivered to your inbox
In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes – free.
Subscribe Free →
