Matt Grzelcyk signs a professional tryout (PTO) contract

NHL defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has reportedly signed a professional tryout (PTO) contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports on the development today:

The 31 year old blue liner had a career season last year, putting up 40 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has surprisingly passed through the entire offseason without a contract offer though. At Just 5'10" and 180 pounds, Gryzelcyk is a bit undersized by today's NHL standards though and offers up little in the way of defensive play. Put another way, he's an undersized offensive defenseman who doesn't move the needle enough offensively to cover up for his defensive blemishes.

Still though, he can quarterback a powerplay and that's exactly what the Blackhawks need on their backend. Good signing for the Blackhawks assuming Grzelcyk can stick in training camp.