Torey Krug’s desire to remain with the Boston Bruins is one of the NHL’s worst-kept secrets.
The B’s second-pairing defenseman is set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason, and presumably could be one of the most expensive blueliners on the open market.
Still, he’s voiced a desire to make things work in Boston, even indicating last summer he’d consider taking less to stay with the Bruins.
In the aftermath, he’s voiced time and time again his affinity for the organization, doing so again Tuesday afternoon in a town hall with Bruins season ticket holders.
“There hasn’t been any discussion (with Don Sweeney about my contract during the break),” Krug said. “I’m prepared for that just because of the unknown, no one knows what the financial implications are going to be for this league and for each individual team for years to come, that’s still being sorted out. So I didn’t really anticipate anything like that coming out of it.
“Obviously very hopeful, and as I’ve said all along I want to be part of this group and part of this locker room and part of this city. It’s become home for us and we love it.”
Krug then made this very important point.
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“You heard Fenway bark earlier — we named our dog Fenway; how much more Boston can it get?” he said.
“That being said I never thought about it during the season and while we were playing,” Krug continued. “And now that you have a second to sit back and you wonder a little bit more, your mind wanders, I think it’s just someone upstairs testing our patience a little bit. We always assumed that we would at least some sort of answer by July 1st, and who knows if we will by then with regards to this season and how it plays out. Who knows. So we’re just trying to live in the present and enjoy what we have right now, and hopefully, we get a chance to finish the season.”
It’s unclear what the salary cap is going to look like this offseason given the potential loss in revenue that would come from a shortened or canceled season. But whenever the time comes for the Bruins and Krug to negotiate, it seems clear what his ideal option is.
