Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug’s value continues to climb
Torey Krug fell one game short of his ultimate goal, and the gut punch that was that Game 7 Stanley Cup Final loss to St. Louis Blues was as devastating as it was for any of his Bruin teammates, perhaps even more so given Krug’s tenure in Boston.
But perhaps more than anyone in the B’s dressing room, the two months of hockey preceding that brutal defeat provided a silver lining for Krug. It was during the B’s run to the Final that Krug was able to change a deep-seated perception of him as just another undersized power-play specialist with defensive zone liabilities to being a legitimate top-four defenseman who could handle the toughest of defensive assignments.
And that run could also help to make Krug rich beyond his wildest dreams.
“I went to the (National Hockey League) media tour (in early September) and speaking with a lot of the guys there, it was eye-opening to hear the perception of me as a player outside of Boston,” said Krug with a smile. “Because I’ve had that narrative in Boston from Day One, just because I showed up and I was smaller, people just assumed I couldn’t play defense. Hopefully I can overcome that narrative, but it’s really tough to do in this market. It’ll probably be with me forever. If we had won Game 7 and won the Stanley Cup, then I would probably still have that narrative attached to me. I think it’s tough for me to detach from it in this market. But around the league, that perception’s changed.”
“I think he just put more of an emphasis on the parts of the defending that aren’t glamorous — working to get inside position, boxing out, accepting the challenge whether it was (Mitch) Marner or (Josh) Anderson or Justin Williams,” said Cassidy. “It was good players that he had to keep off the score sheet every night. I think there’s a tendency for offensive guys to say, ‘You know what, I’ll trade chances with this guy.’ In the playoffs, I think he tried to give as much offense as he could but not sacrifice any defense.”
“To be honest, I broke the puck out better than I ever have before. Now I don’t have to play in my own zone and the forwards are excited because they have the puck cleaner. When everyone’s happy, they all pull for each other,” said Krug.
Krug reiterated his own willingness to meet the B’s halfway.
“If you would have told me seven years ago that I’d be in this position that I am today, I’d probably look at you cross-eyed. That being said, I’ve had to fight for every inch that I’ve ever gotten in this league. Every penny I’ve gotten in this league, I’ve fought for,” said Krug. “You’ve got to find the fine line. That falls on the individual, that falls on the team to keep a player on to be somewhat fair. I also understand the culture here and that it’s probably the best chance to win a championship, year after year. It’s all a game. You try to feel it out. You try to make the best decision possible. It’s not just about me any more. It’s about my wife (Melanie) and my daughter (Saylor) and what our futures look like.”