Many Boston Bruins supporters were disappointed by the team’s departure of defenseman Torey Krug, who helped the team to two Stanley Cup Final appearances, on October 9, 2020. Nevertheless, Krug’s contract with the Bruins was a previous offer after the former Michigan State standout turned down one, and the salary cap hit at the time was a steep $6.5 million.
When his new deal with the St. Louis Blues expired seven years later, the question on everyone’s mind was whether the 5-foot-9, 185-pound left-shot defenseman would still be useful. Although losing Krug was difficult, in the summer of 2024, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney appeared to have made the right choice.
The Blues are currently considering a buyout of Krug’s contract following two disappointing seasons in which he suffered injury problems and finished with a combined minus-56. With three years left on his contract and a no-trade clause, the undrafted free agent is extremely difficult to trade. On the other hand, teams will undoubtedly look into the services of a player who is a good power-play quarterback with postseason experience if they buy out Krug and bear the associated costs.
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Will the Bruins get in touch with Krug to see if they can sign him to a cheap, short-term contract so he can return to Boston? Over the course of 523 regular season games in Boston, Krug had a strong performance, tallying 277 assists and 67 goals with a plus-23 rating. Additionally, Krug scored 161 power play points.
In 77 games this season, Krug played roughly 22 minutes per game on the ice and only had 13 power-play assists. He was also a minus-31. Although Krug’s age of 33 is working against him, the native of Livonia, Michigan, can still be a third-pair defenseman in Boston behind Hampus Lindholm and Mason Lohrei. Boston struggled with the man advantage this season, so it might make sense to have Krug play fewer 5-on-5 minutes with some power play time.
Boston might make a move for the Blues if they let go of Torey Krug, especially since Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort are both departing as unrestricted free agents. Boston can only justify signing Krug if the agreement is for a one-year, low-paying contract.
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