Following the 2020 Toronto playoff bubble, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney was facing a big off-season in terms of free agents. One of the bigger decisions he faced was defenseman Torey Krug. After the Black and Gold were eliminated in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Krug met with the Boston media and the writing was on the wall, he was leaving the Bruins and hitting free agency.
All the signs were there that Sweeney was not going to meet Krug's numbers and overpay the former Michigan State standout and when free agency began, the St. Louis Blues came calling. In fact, they came calling with a big check as they gave the former undrafted free agent signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract with an AAV of $6.5 million.
As he is about to enter Year 4 of the deal, it appears that the Blues could be without Krug for the 2024-25 season.
Torey Krug's 2024-25 season in jeopardy
St. Louis announced that Krug was diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle and the Blues said that "the injury is a cumulative result of a bone fracture suffered earlier in his playing career." He will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks and if surgery is needed, he would miss the entire 2024-25 season, which would be a huge blow to the St. Louis defense.
Torey Krug has been diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle and will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 16, 2024
If surgery is necessary, Krug would miss the entire 2024-25 season. #stlblues
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/PFUQxTekmw https://t.co/PFUQxTekmw
Last season was a good season for Kurg who only missed five games and had four goals and 29 assists. In four seasons with the Blues, he has played in 255 games with 22 goals and 124 assists and the 33-year-old has been one of their better puck-moving blueliners.
Krug played in 523 games with the Black and Gold with 67 goals and 270 assists for 337 points with a plus/minus of plus-23. Sweeney's decision not to pay Krug is looking good now as St. Louis could be stuck paying him for an entire season that he could potentially miss. He was mentioned as a buyout candidate this season, but that never happened as the Blues are looking to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this upcoming season, but if Krug misses the campaign, it will make that more difficult.