What Does Torey Krug’s Injury Mean for Boston?
Oct 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman
Torey Krug(47) takes a shot against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
“He did a pretty decent job and he’s had a few stints with us. He’s a big body, a great shot, can move the puck well and right now it’s just him being consistent and trustworthy player back there so we’ll see more as we move forward but definitely not disappointed in his first game.”-Claude Julien on Trotman
With an already depleted defense, the last thing the Bruins needed to hear was that they were going to be down yet another player, let alone another defenseman. As early on in the season as it is, the Bruins have had to deal with an overload of adversity. In a series of events things seem to have taken a turn for the worse.
Johnny Boychuk got traded. Three key players are still recovering from their off-season surgeries/injuries. Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller are missing from the back end due to injuries. Now toss Torey Krug into that mix and you have to wonder if the Bruins are going to crumble.
Torey Krug was already taking on a bigger role in the absence of Zdeno Chara. He’s made an impact on the Bruins penalty killing and power play units along with upping his time on the ice. Dougie Hamilton and Dennis Seidenberg are already logging in almost 30-minutes per game without Chara,
Sure, the Bruins have depth in the defensive end. However, what we are seeing now is how well the ‘depth’ can play. So far, we’ve come to realize Matt Bartkowski is decent at best. When he’s on his game he can play solid, but those spurts come few and far between. The Bruins now have to look to Zach Trotman, David Warsofsky and Joe Morrow to combine and fill the missing links of Boychuk, Chara and Krug.
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Trotman has been in this position before, playing in half a dozen games last season for the Bruins, so this isn’t his first time at the rodeo. After his first game this season in Toronto, Claude Julien was pleased with what he saw from the 24-year-old.
“He did a pretty decent job and he’s had a few stints with us. He’s a big body, a great shot, can move the puck well and right now it’s just him being consistent and trustworthy player back there so we’ll see more as we move forward but definitely not disappointed in his first game.”
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While the Bruins have one prominent defensemen, he’s still adjusting to the learning curve of the NHL as will Morrow and Warsofsky. So the question is this; do the Bruins continue to instill confidence in their younger d-men and get them accustomed to the NHL level while remaining at .500, or make a trade for a veteran defenseman that could cost them the high draft picks they received in the Boychuk deal?
For now the Bruins are keeping the trial and error game in tact in hopes of finding the right pairs. With the offense starting to click, the Bruins need their defense to come together and step up to the plate.