Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has been fined $5,000 for spearing Washington Capitals forward Max Pacioretty in yesterday’s game. T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, and Dylan Strome each scored once to help the Capitals win 3-0. In a strong performance, Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves and recorded a shutout.
Grzelcyk speared Pacioretty near the end of the first period, resulting in a major penalty and a game misconduct. Given the gravity of the situation, the Bruins defenceman is fortunate to avoid suspension. The proceeds from the fine will go to the Player’s Assistance Fund.
Grzelcyk has played 38 games for the Bruins this year as a bottom-pairing defenseman. He has scored two goals and seven points along with 31 penalty minutes and a +6 rating. He’s coming off a very strong 2022-23 campaign when he put up 26 points and a ridiculously good +46 rating, which ranked second on the team behind only Hampus Lindholm.
Grzelcyk has played his entire career for the Bruins and was initially selected by them in the third-round of the 2012 NHL Draft. As of now, he has played 420 NHL games in Boston and scored 131 points in that span. He has been present for some of the Bruins greatest moments of the last decade, including the 2019 Stanley Cup finals run and the 2022-23 record-setting regular season.
The 30-year-old is in the latter year of his four-year, $14.75 million contract with the Bruins. There have been rumors for over a year that the team could need to trade him to make cap room, but he made it through the cap crunch and there’s a high possibility he’ll return next year. Most likely, he will sign a three- to four-year contract with a similar or lower AAV than the one he now has.
Leave a Reply