Torey Krug’s future with Bruins stands as top question mark this offseason - what options are on the table?

It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks for Don Sweeney and the rest of the Bruins’ front office.

A little more than a week after a crushing Game 7 loss to the Blues in the Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins will be in Vancouver for the 2019 NHL Draft with five selections at their disposal — including the 30th overall pick.

After that, free agency awaits, with Boston tabbed with $14.3 million (as constituted) in cap space to hash out new deals with restricted free agents like Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Danton Heinen, while also exploring options to retain UFAs like Marcus Johansson and Noel Acciari. The task of ridding themselves of David Backes’ contract and exploring other top-six options also loom large this summer.

And yet, in an offseason in which the priority of Sweeney and Co. will be to maximize Boston’s current championship window, the No. 1 decision of the summer hovers around a player not to set to hit free agency until 2020.

Set to make $5.25 million in the final year of a four-year, $21-million contract he inked back in the summer of 2016, Torey Krug is expected to net a nice pay raise for himself, and for good reason.

The book has been out on Krug’s strengths out on the ice for years now, and the dynamic playmaker was once again as good as advertised in 2018-19. Tallying 53 points over 64 regular-season games, Krug has now averaged 47.6 points per season since becoming an NHL regular in 2013 — with his 286 total points ranking 10th amongst all defensemen during that stretch of six years.

But Krug’s chemistry with a prototypical stay-at-home presence in Brandon Carlo on Boston’s second D pairing benefited all parties as the year progressed, especially in terms of play away from the O-zone.

The pair was arguably Boston’s most consistent duo on the blue line during the Cup run, with Boston holding a 12-9 edge in 5v5 goals during the 303:45 of TOI in which both skaters were deployed during the postseason.

Add it all together, and a skater once regarded as simply a power-play specialist in Krug is due to land quite a haul when his current contract expires.

But will that new deal come from the only NHL organization he’s ever been a part of? He certainly hopes so.

"That's been my goal from Day One is to become part of this locker room and this core," Krug said Friday at Warrior Ice Arena. "Guys have come and gone and I've been lucky enough to stay for a while and I want to be here forever. It's a great group of guys. You feel really privileged to be a part of this group and you want to bring something to the table yourself and, hopefully, I’ve done that.”

In a perfect world, the Bruins would love to keep Krug on board for the foreseeable future. With the shifty defenseman in tow, the Bruins will likely roll out one of the most effective units on the man advantage for the years ahead, while the 28-year-old signals the next wave of leadership after the regular stalwarts in Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and David Krejci.

But such idyllic scenarios are often few and far between when the reality of the cap and other team-building factors manifest over the course of the offseason.

With Krug’s status with the Bruins standing as perhaps the top domino to fall this summer for Boston, let’s take a look at a couple of the various scenarios that both parties could go through in what might be an eventful couple of weeks.



B’s re-sign Krug to a long-term contract

While Krug noted on Friday that formal discussions had yet to take place between him and the Bruins on a new contract, the wheels could start turning very quickly once the calendar turns to July.

Given his baseline stats and expected production, it seems like a given that Krug’s new deal would bring him an AAV around at least what Panthers blueliner Keith Yandle commands ($6.35 million). With another year like 2018-19, it seems like a given that annual hit will rise to over $7 million a season, especially if Krug makes it out on the open market.

Perhaps a hometown discount could exist for Krug when it comes to Boston, but regardless of the bargains to be found, $5.25 million will not be realistic after this upcoming season.

"I'd personally love to get something done quickly," Krug said. "This is an important place in my heart. A place I've wanted to play my whole career so ideally, it would be something that gets done. But obviously it'll all be done in due time. I want to be here. I'm sure they feel the same way so hopefully that's the case."

Boston likely wouldn’t have any qualms about keeping Krug for at least the next couple of years, especially if the B’s want to make the most out of this current window with players like Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask still playing at a high level.

A long-term contract could provide some headaches down the road, but for the next two or three campaigns, it seems unlikely that Krug’s overall value will diminish all that much, especially in the O-zone.

Had Krug managed to avoid the injury bug over the last two years, the puck mover would have been a lock at becoming the sixth defenseman in B’s franchise history to post a 60-point campaign — joining Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Brad Park, Carol Vadnais and Mike O’Connell.

During Boston’s Cup run, Krug was much more than just an offensive sparkplug. Sure, the O-zone numbers were mighty encouraging. Alright, no, they were fantastic.

The key conduit up top on a power-play unit that closed out the postseason with a 32.4% success rate, Krug tallied 18 points over 24 playoff outings, including six points alone in the Cup Final, just two shy tying the B’s record for most points accrued in a Cup final by a defenseman (Orr, 8 points in 1972).

But away from his proficiency as a power-play QB, Krug and Carlo more than held their own against some daunting defensive assignments.

During the Cup Final against St. Louis, the Krug-Carlo duo were out on the ice for 84:03 of 5v5 TOI, primarily against both Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly’s lines. Despite the arduous matchup, Boston still managed to hold the edge in both goals (4-3) and SOG (48-35) when Bruce Cassidy rolled with Krug-Carlo.



Going forward, more years with Krug in the fold should keep Boston’s man advantage as one of the top units in the NHL, while Carlo's continued development should help offset any shortcomings that Krug could develop over the course of a long-term deal.

The question remains, however. Does Boston have enough cap room to take on a larger contract for Krug? Of that $14.3 million in cap space this summer, most will be diverted into locking up Boston’s RFAs. If Boston wants to realistically sign someone like Marcus Johansson, it’s likely going to have to find a way to free up that $12 million tied into Backes’ contract over the next two years — an offseason objective easier said than done.

Boston could try to trim its roster in other areas in order to free up some cash. Kevan Miller, due $2.5 million next year in the final year of his deal, could be a potential buyout candidate ($833,334 cap hit next two seasons if bought out). John Moore could be a trade chip as a veteran defenseman with both term (four years remaining on contract) and value ($2.75 million). However, Moore is expected to be sidelined for the next 4-6 months due to shoulder surgery, while having a player with locked up for three-plus years could be key when the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft arrives.

Signing Krug long term is certainly not out of the question when it comes to the Bruins. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to cause a lot of headaches as well.

Bruins trade Krug this summer

With the NHL Draft less than a week away, now might be the best time to part ways with Krug if Boston — A) Doesn’t believe it has the financial flexibility to sign him long-term, B) Believes it can soldier on without his offensive contributions, or C) Is blown away by an offer that improves another area of the roster.

Krug’s value might never be higher than it is right now following Boston’s Cup run, but Don Sweeney reiterated Monday that the Bruins aren’t looking for an avenue to part ways with a player that provides plenty of value in Krug.

Still, few players are untouchable if the right deal manifests itself.   

“Torey is an important part of our hockey club,” Sweeney said.  “The power play, the point, those things speak for themselves and have been throughout his time here. He’s a big part of our club. We have an opportunity, starting July, to open up talks. Again the RFA market and some of our internal things will dictate the timing of those conversations.

“If somebody blew us away, every player has to be looked at in that way.  When you’re an organization, you just have to. You’re doing a disservice if you don’t. But it would take a pretty unique opportunity for us to part with Torey. We think he’s a big part of the fabric of our group.”

When it comes to the price, dealing Krug might be the cost if it means Boston can add a viable, top-six winger into the fold. Finding a way to stop the carousel of wingers slotting into Krejci's line has to be a priority for Sweeney and his staff this summer, and if Krug brings back a winger like Nikolaj Ehlers or other tantalizing forwards? It can be tempting for the right price.

Of course, any move that ships out Krug means that the Bruins have to be comfortable with their situation on the blue line and especially on the power play. Boston already has a logjam of left-shot defensemen both on the roster and in the pipeline, with Urho Vaakanainen standing as the logical candidate for a starting role next season.

On the power play, blue-line duties would likely be handed to McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk if Krug departs. McAvoy would be an interesting case when it comes to would get the keys to the top power-play unit, as just two of McAvoy’s 28 points during the regular season came on the man advantage — over the span of 85:04 of ice time. (For reference, six of Grzelcyk’s 18 points came on his 103:16 of power-play TOI).

However, McAvoy made strides orchestrating the power play during the postseason, recording four points in 29:25 of ice time — while Boston cashed in eight times on the man advantage when he was out on the ice. Could that production carry over? It certainly seems like McAvoy (still just 21) would be up for a more prominent special-teams role.

Parting ways with one of the key cogs on your roster is no easy decision, but when you factor in the potential return and the contingency plans in place on the blue line, it certainly isn’t outside of the realm of possibility.

Boston enters new season with Krug on current contract

This scenario seems unlikely. If Boston decides to not deal Krug when his value is sky high, it seems like a given that the club is going to do everything in its power to retain him going forward.

The worst-case scenario would be Boston losing Krug for nothing on the open market, and barring any major twists and turns in his career projections, the defenseman will command a hefty contract once the bidding can officially begin in July 2020.

Perhaps getting more money off the books next season (a combined $3 million in savings from retained salary/buyouts from contracts of Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Beleskey) could help ease the burden of signing Krug long term.

But the summer of 2020 presents a new set of challenges on the free-agent landscape, with Charlie Coyle, Chris Wagner, Joakim Nordstrom, Jaroslav Halak and Chara set to be UFAs, while Grzelcyk and Jake DeBrusk will be due for pay raises as RFAs.

The consensus seems to be clear. Regardless of what Boston decides to do with Krug, it will likely be decided at some point this summer. How said decision benefits or hurts the Bruins could be felt for a very, very long time.