PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 19: Matt Grzelcyk #48 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on January 19, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins have been a hot topic when it comes to buyers at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. There have been several names tossed out there by fans as to who could be on the move.

The Boston Bruins need a second-line right-winger to fill a void and bolster their secondary scoring. Those wingers, however, are in short supply and are going to be quite expensive. That said, several Bruins players have been thrown out there in rumors for trades that would reel in Chris Kreider or Tyler Toffoli.

One of those names is Matt Grzelcyk, a 26-year-old left-handed defenseman. In recent years, he has proven to be quite capable and valuable to the Bruins blueline.

If the Bruins really want to continue contending for a Cup, they would be wise to hang onto Grzelcyk, at the very least for the remainder of this season. There are many situations that the Bruins would not want to be caught in without Grzelcyk to fall back on.

For example, If Zdeno Chara or Torey Krug gets injured down the stretch, they’d have to rely on Jakub Zboril, Urho Vaakanainen, Conor Clifton or John Moore to eat up second-pairing, or maybe even top-pairing, minutes. I’d much rather fall back on a proven player such as Grzelcyk if such an occurrence would take place.

Also, let’s look forward to the off-season. Krug, Chara, Grzelcyk, Jeremy Lauzon, and Zboril are all upcoming free agents (either unrestricted or restricted). On the surface of things, it looks like Chara could continue playing.

Based on recent patterns, he seems to be a year-to-year player. He took a small pay-cut to stay in Boston the last off-season and could very well do the same. Lauzon and Zboril are both coming off of their rookie contracts. Neither has done enough to get a large pay-day this offseason, so there shouldn’t be much concern with them. However, Krug and Grzelcyk provide some difficulties.

Krug is 28, and based on some reports, is looking for a long-term deal, with a fairly expensive price tag. To me, it would be a mistake to give him that deal, for one big reason; health concerns. Krug is a small defender, standing at just 5’9″, but plays with aggression.

He is slowly reaching the age of decline, and with his small stature and play style, it’s fair to question how much more his body could take. Krug has yet to play a full 82-game season in his career, as well as missing a combined 24 games in his last two years.

Would the Bruins truly be willing to pay upwards of $6 million per year over the course of five or more years to a defenseman who may or may not remain healthy, along with the possibility of decline, to that kind of deal? Plus, don’t the Bruins want to have money aside to extend whichever right-winger they add at the deadline?

Grzelcyk would be a cheaper and younger option. He is also a player who can easily take a short-term deal (2 to 3 years), giving the Bruins the opportunity to spend elsewhere. He has also proven to be capable in a top-4 role. Plus, if he were to directly replace Krug, then he would reunite with Brandon Carlo. Last season, the Carlo and Grzelcyk pairing played 149 minutes together and were the Bruins best defensive pair when it came to expected goals against, with a 1.651 expected goals against per 60 mark (the next best was Krug-McAvoy with 1.979 xGA/60).

Krug would provide a lot of trade value for the Bruins and, with a stacked 2020 draft class, they could garner an extra 1st rounder. Not to mention, possibly trading Krug at the conclusion of the season and letting Lauzon walk in free agency opens a door for the likes of Vaakanainen, Zboril, and Clifton to have a slightly larger role on the NHL squad and ease them into assets on the blueline when Chara inevitably hangs up his skates.

Don’t get me wrong, it would suck to see Krug leave. He has been a part of the organization for 9 excellent seasons and has consistently put up around 50 points a season. It’s undeniable that Krug plays his heart out every single game and is the epitome of what a Bruins hockey player should be. He’s tough and doesn’t take crap from anyone. He brings energy and leadership to the table and knows how to score from the backend.

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But there’s also no denying the benefits of letting Krug go, both financially and with the make-up of the current roster. Grzelcyk remaining a Bruin would be a wise choice by Don Sweeney, as it could pay huge dividends moving forward, and keep the Bruins in Stanley Cup contention for a few more seasons.