Boston Bruins: Torey Krug could be the most vital remnant of 2013 team

The Boston Bruins, if you hadn’t already heard, are headed back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2013. Torey Krug made his first Stanley Cup Final appearance in that series and you could argue is the key for the youngsters heading into their first.

You see, the likes of Tuukka Rask, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara; they’ve all been there for the Boston Bruins too, but they’ve been on both sides of the ice; the winning side and the losing side. Torey Krug, on the other hand, has only been on the losing side.

The sheer fact it’s taken six years to get within a whisker of the Stanley Cup once more is a sign of just how hard it is to compete in this salary cap era of the NHL. For Torey Krug, that six years has been a rollercoaster and we have no doubt that at the back of his mind, there’s always been that nagging ‘what if’ when it comes to that series.

Looking at the make-up of this Stanley Cup final team, the Boston Bruins have a solid half of the line-up that has never experienced anything like what they’re about to face. Torey Krug, given he’s slightly younger than those that have already won one, can act as the conduit between those two very different teams.

More from Bruins News

• Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
• Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
• The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
• NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
• The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci

We obviously have no idea of the inner workings of the Boston Bruins locker-room, but you’d have to imagine guys like Tuukka Rask and Zdeno Chara are treated very much like elder statesmen. Torey Krug, by comparison, is a young buck!

The sheer fact that he doesn’t have a championship ring is no doubt going to motivate him even harder and that can’t be a bad thing for the Boston Bruins. They’ll absolutely be hoping he can take guys like Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk and co. along for the ride!

You don’t build a dynasty without roster turnover, but just as important is retaining enough of a core that knows how tight the margins of success and failure are – Torey Krug represents that perfectly.

Dynasties should be a rare thing given the parity of the current-day NHL, but of course we have seen sustained success for the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins. They did it be failing first before coming back bigger and better.

For Torey Krug and the Boston Bruins, this coming Stanley Cup Final can mark their redemption; they can put to rest any demons of their 2013 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks by winning this one – a new, young team that doesn’t necessarily fit all the stereotypes of the modern NHL game.

The next games will determine what this current group of players is truly made of; if it’s the right stuff, there’s almost no doubt that this could be the start of a dynasty – the youth is there.

Heck, Torey Krug, himself was there in 2013 and is still only a 28 year-old. He is no doubt chomping at the bit, more than just about anyone in Boston Bruins colours, to finally get his hands on the Cup.