{"id":156111,"date":"2025-09-20T07:16:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T07:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/156111\/"},"modified":"2025-09-20T07:16:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T07:16:14","slug":"ex-sidney-crosby-teammate-signs-blackhawks-pto-but-four-nhl-contenders-still-circling-with-serious-interest-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/156111\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Sidney Crosby teammate signs Blackhawks PTO, but four NHL contenders still circling with serious interest | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/matt-grzelcyk.jpg\" alt=\"Ex-Sidney Crosby teammate signs Blackhawks PTO, but four NHL contenders still circling with serious interest\" title=\"Matt Grzelcyk  (Getty Images)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>Matt Grzelcyk  (Getty Images) The Chicago Blackhawks have offered veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk a professional tryout contract, giving him a chance to showcase his skills this season. Coming off a 40-point campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Grzelcyk remains a valuable commodity despite going unsigned during the summer. While the Blackhawks present a fresh opportunity, his next move may not be decided in Chicago alone. Several teams are reportedly tracking his situation as training camps open.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Grzelcyk\u2019s NHL prospects and Blackhawks opportunity<\/p>\n<p>According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, and Anaheim Ducks are all keeping an eye on Grzelcyk if he doesn\u2019t secure a full-time spot with Chicago. \u201cGrzelcyk ended up taking a PTO with the Chicago Blackhawks. He\u2019s familiar with assistant coach Mike Vellucci from the Penguins last season. We\u2019ll see whether that materializes into an NHL contract,\u201d LeBrun noted. \u201cThe Senators, Avalanche, Islanders, and Ducks would be other potential situations to monitor\u2026 Whatever happens, Grzelcyk should end up on a one-year, prove-it contract somewhere this season.\u201dFor the Blackhawks, the move makes strategic sense. Chicago\u2019s blue line struggled last season, contributing to a 25-46 record and a last-place finish in the Central Division. Adding a veteran like Grzelcyk provides stability, leadership, and offensive upside from the back end. At 30 years old, he now has a chance to prove his worth and potentially secure a longer-term deal.<\/p>\n<p>What Matt Grzelcyk brings to the table<\/p>\n<p>If Grzelcyk can replicate his impact from Pittsburgh\u2014where his offensive contributions stood out despite a smaller frame\u2014the Blackhawks could gain a low-risk, high-reward addition. His puck-moving skills and experience could help stabilize a roster aiming to climb out of the basement. Training camp and preseason performance will be crucial in determining whether he earns a permanent spot in Chicago or draws interest from other contending teams ready to bolster their defense.As the new NHL season approaches, all eyes will be on Grzelcyk. Whether he secures a lasting role with the Blackhawks or finds a home elsewhere, his journey highlights the delicate balance of opportunity and performance for veteran players in today\u2019s league.Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/mlb\/news\/did-clayton-kershaw-do-enough-to-be-remembered-as-mlbs-greatest-left-handed-pitcher-of-all-time\/articleshow\/123988458.cms\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Did Clayton Kershaw do enough to be remembered as MLB\u2019s greatest left-handed pitcher of all time?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matt Grzelcyk (Getty Images) The Chicago Blackhawks have offered veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk a professional tryout contract, giving&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,7520,7522,104182,5791,575,6597,4785,32666,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-156111","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","11":"tag-colorado-avalanche","12":"tag-matt-grzelcyk","13":"tag-new-york-islanders","14":"tag-nhl","15":"tag-ottawa-senators","16":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","17":"tag-sidney-crosby","18":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}