Boston Bruins: How does Roman Josi’s contract impact Torey Krug?

One of the biggest decisions in front of Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney involves defenseman Torey Krug.

Krug is currently on the last year of his contract, so he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. If he hits free agency, Krug will be on the shortlist of a bunch of teams.

The Bruins ideally want to sign Krug to a long-term extension, and Krug himself already expressed a desire to stay in Boston. That said, it remains to be seen if the two sides can reach an agreement.

Krug signed a four-year contract in 2016 with a cap hit of $5.25 million. He held up his end of the bargain over the past three and a half years, so he looks set up for a raise. But, what kind of raise does Krug deserve? And will Boston be comfortable with that number?

Roman Josi, Nashville’s top defenseman, signed a new extension this week worth $72.472 million over 8 years. This contract has a cap hit of $9.059 million. Josi and Krug are by no means the same player, but we can still use Josi’s new contract to gauge Krug’s value.

Josi emerged as one of the best offensive defensemen over the past few years for the Predators. He had 56 points last season, and he finished with at least 40 points in six straight seasons. He’s well on this pace this year, with 13 points in 11 games.

Krug’s production from the backend is similar to that of Josi. Krug scored at least 39 points in all six of his full NHL seasons. And, his points per game continues to increase year after year. There simply aren’t many defensemen who can put up points like Krug.

That said, Krug isn’t quite a defensive stalwart like Josi. Josi’s career average time on ice is 24:41. He often plays tough, shutdown minutes against the opposition’s top lines. Josi truly is an elite two-way defenseman.

Krug is more of an offensive specialist. He averaged a little under 21 minutes on ice last season, and a decent chunk of that was on the power play. Krug also doesn’t play against the toughest matchups; rather, coach Bruce Cassidy tries to give him many offensive-zone starts.

Plus, while Josi scores a lot of his points at even strength, Krug relies more on the man advantage. In fact, over half of Krug’s 53 points last season came on the power play.

All this doesn’t mean that Krug isn’t valuable to the Bruins. He’s undoubtedly an important part of the team, and there’s no one on the roster who can replace his production if he leaves.

What we need to do, however, is use Josi’s contract as a comparable for Krug.

Like we mentioned before, Krug and Josi have similar offensive numbers, but Josi is stronger defensively. So, you have to expect Krug’s contract will come in under Josi’s.

Since Josi’s cap hit is $9.059 million, you have to expect any new contract for Krug will start around $7 million per year. That is, unless Krug chooses to take a significant hometown discount to stay.

What about term? Josi signed for eight years, which is the maximum contract length for any player who resigns with his existing team. He’s a little older than Krug, but he has been more durable over his career.

The Bruins may not be totally comfortable with an eight-year contract for Krug. But, there’s little doubt the team would go five or six years.

Could the Bruins and Krug agree to a six-year contract worth around $7 million per year? Based on Josi’s contract, that looks like fair value for both sides. Let’s get it done!