There are not a lot of great defense options still on the open market, but Grzelcyk is one of the more intriguing ones, especially for a team that needs a bottom-pairing, depth defenseman.
He is just one year removed from a 40-point season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he held his own and produced some solid results on a dreadful Chicago Blackhawks team a year ago.
As bad as the Blackhawks were in 2025-26, they were only outscored by a 45-46 margin with him on the ice, a goal differential that was tops among all Chicago defenders. They also had a 45.6 percent expected goal share, which may not seem great in a vacuum, but was second among Blackhawks defenders, only marginally trailing the 46.1 percent from Connor Murphy.
He has some offense and puck-skills to his game, and as a No. 6 or 7 defenseman, he might be able to provide something to a third-pair.