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Boston Bruins: Why is it vital to extend Torey Krug beyond this year?

By Raymond Crane

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 27: Torey Krug #47 of the Boston Bruins checks Robert Thomas #18 of the St. Louis Blues during the third period in Game One of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on May 27, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 27: Torey Krug #47 of the Boston Bruins checks Robert Thomas #18 of the St. Louis Blues during the third period in Game One of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on May 27, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON - JUNE 14: Boston Bruins' Torey Krug stands by himself as he waits to meet with reporters as the Bruins hold their end of the season media availability at the Warrior Ice Arena practice facility in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on June 14, 2019. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – JUNE 14: Boston Bruins’ Torey Krug stands by himself as he waits to meet with reporters as the Bruins hold their end of the season media availability at the Warrior Ice Arena practice facility in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on June 14, 2019. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

How much will he cost the Boston Bruins?

Now to the salary talk. The real touchy subject surrounding Krug is the amount of money he is seeking in his next contract, and how long the term will be.

As I mentioned above, Bruins fans are blue-collar. We like to build our teams at a great value, and we would rather have a roster of 4 solid lines than to sign 3-4 superstars and deplete our depth (i.e. the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Time and time again we see Bruins players be criticized for their play if the fans believe they are not performing to their contract value. The players on our team who earn the largest salaries i.e. Tuukka Rask, David Backes, and David Krejci are often subject to this criticism.

I just don’t understand this argument against Krug. Is it because he’s the Bruins highest paid defenseman? Relative to the Bruins cap-hit, Krug is already returning top value for our Beloved B’s, and we are only just entering the prime years of his career.

While I’m on the topic of age, the popular concern about Krug is that he is an aging asset. Um, what? Top 3 defenseman of all-time, Nicklas Lidstrom, won seven James Norris Memorial Trophies (Seven!) as the league’s best defenseman, and his first award came at the age of 31!

If Krug is considered old, I think the shift in mentality to it being a ‘young guys’ game has swayed far too much to the extreme.

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