It’s a big week for the Boston Bruins, with the 2020 NHL Entry Draft beginning Tuesday followed by free agency on Friday.
As such, we might soon gain clarity on the direction of the Bruins’ offseason and what it means for Torey Krug’s future in Boston.
Krug is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s latest update Monday suggests the 29-year-old defenseman likely will hit the open market without a new deal with his current organization.
“We haven’t had any progress as far as Torey,” Sweeney acknowledged during a video conference with reporters.
Now, this doesn’t mean Krug definitely will sign elsewhere, although him officially becoming a free agent might increase the likelihood that he’s played his final game in a Bruins uniform.
Krug figures to be one of the top players available and could command significant interest from other teams. It’s unclear how far the Bruins are willing to go financially to keep him in Boston for the foreseeable future.
“Several free agents have have gone and tested the market and come back to the same place that they were at, and it’s something we would also consider,” Sweeney said. “There’s no way in hell you’re going to change my opinion of what I think Torey has the right to do and I believe that. So, he’s put himself in a great position, either with us or with other teams that have interest in him. I’ll listen to any situation that might improve our hockey club and move forward from there if it plays out that way.”
There’s a lot of mutual respect between the Bruins and Krug, who’s spent his entire nine-year NHL career in Boston. It’s hard to imagine that changing regardless of how his free agency shakes out.
“There’s no animosity whatsoever in this situation with this player,” Sweeney said. “Every team has sticky deals and trying to thread the needle, so to speak, in this day and age with the salary cap and competitive environment that we’re all in and trying to win. Those things collide.”
Krug, who originally signed with the Bruins as an undrafted free agent in 2012, totaled nine goals and 40 assists for 49 points this past season while continuing to quarterback Boston’s potent power play.
