Training camps around the NHL are about to open, and two former Bruins have been given some last-minute tryout offers from Western Conference clubs, with Matt Grzelcyk and Oliver Wahlstrom officially fighting for their NHL futures.
In the case of Grzelcyk, the quest for another NHL season will come with a tryout agreement with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Grzelcyk, who spent the first 445 games of his NHL career with his hometown Bruins, is coming off a 2024-25 season spent in Pittsburgh.
As a Penguin, Grzelcyk was not only reunited with former Boston University head coach David Quinn (then an assistant coach running Pittsburgh’s defense), but also posted a career-best 39 assists and 40 points. The point explosion came with the Charlestown, Mass. native playing the majority of his campaign to the left of point-producing defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Jan 17, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (24) makes a pass during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
But while the Grzelcyk-Karlsson pairing had its moments offensively, it was also one of the rougher pairings in its own zone, with shots against and scoring chance against rates near the bottom of the NHL. That, along with Grzelcyk’s 5-foot-9 frame and his age (he turns 32 this season), are certainly the biggest things that worked against him finding a contract this offseason. I mean, they might be the only reasons to not give him a contract considering that his 40 points were tied for the 26th-most among all NHL defensemen in 2024-25.
In Chicago, Grzelcyk will battle for an NHL deal on a blue line featuring Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski as its top left-side options, and with restricted free agent Wyatt Kaiser still without a contract with training camp rapidly approaching.
Feb 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins right wing Oliver Wahlstrom (71) during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
Wahlstrom, meanwhile, will look to make it at the bottom of a rebuilding San Jose roster as he’ll attend Sharks training camp on a PTO.
Claimed off waivers by the Bruins last season, Wahlstrom had just one goal and one assist in 16 games, and struggled mightily when it came to offensive-zone penalties with the Bruins before being placed on waivers once again.
Unclaimed on waivers the second time around, Wahlstrom finished his season in Providence, and posted nine goals and 15 points in 19 AHL games, along with three goals and an assist in seven playoff games. The Bruins then decided not to extend Wahlstrom, who was slated to become a restricted free agent for the Black and Gold, a qualifying offer and made him an unrestricted free agent.
Wahlstrom’s signing of a PTO (or, again, a minor-league contract) means that every player who played for the 2024-25 Bruins has since found work elsewhere. The only exception there is Tyler Johnson, who had a brief and forgettable run with Boston, as Johnson announced his retirement from hockey earlier this year.
