'I really hope I did not play my last game as a Boston Bruin': Torey Krug's future in Boston remains in a state of limbo

For as much as Torey Krug’s uncertain future in Boston has loomed over the playmaking defenseman for the better part of a year, such a state of limbo hasn't done much to stymie the offensive production that the 28-year-old skater regularly generates from the blue line. 

A few months removed from notching 16 assists over postseason 24 games – and quarterbacking a B's power play that cashed in on 32.4% of its opportunities during Boston’s Cup run — Krug continued to produce during the 2019-20 season, tallying nine goals and 49 points over 61 games before the season came to an abrupt stop.

At one point, Krug was well on track to become the sixth Bruins defenseman in franchise history to post 60+ points in a single season — joining the likes of Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Brad Park, Carol Vadnais and Mike O’Connell.

Now, Krug, a pending unrestricted free agent, wonders if he’ll ever get a chance to don a black and gold sweater again. 

"For me, personally, I really hope I did not play my last game as a Boston Bruin," Krug said during a conference call on Tuesday afternoon. "It's been a special place for me and my family to grow and my love for the game and playing in front of these fans — it's been very special to me. It hasn't given any clarity, I think, if anything, it's made me wonder about this process a little bit more."

In a perfect situation,



both the Bruins and Krug find the common ground this summer (or whenever the actual offseason commences) to hash out a contract extension that keeps both parties together for the foreseeable future. He's certainly earned a solid bump in pay from the $5.25 million annual salary he currently commands.

After all, Krug has been about as consistent as they come as an offensive catalyst from the back end – averaging 47.6 points per season over his last six full campaigns in the NHL. Even though Boston has a new crop of blue liners in Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk already thriving at the NHL level — and younger bodies like Jeremy Lauzon, Connor Clifton and Urho Vaakanainen either waiting in the wings or already contributing — keeping Krug in the fold, especially thanks to his power-play prowess stands as one of the most logical ways for the Bruins to maximize this current Cup window with its veteran core in place.

Of course, even with Krug's value on the ice — and especially off the ice, as a bridge between Boston's older contingent and a growing number of skaters aged 25 or under — the primary factor deciding Krug's future in Boston hinges on — as it always is — how much cash the Bruins are willing to offer the UFA.

Term also comes into play, as it remains to be seen how a smaller defenseman that's not afraid to take a beating like Krug will fare in his age 32-33+ seasons. But the immediate hurdle for both parties lies in what should be a very uncertain salary-cap ceiling for the 2020-21 season and beyond.

Last year, Krug expressed a willingness to leave money on the table and accept a hometown discount if it means staying in Boston on a long-term basis — following a route taken by other key cogs on Boston's roster like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle. 

If Krug is willing to sign for around $7-$7.5 million on an annual basis, it'd seem likely that Boston would have had plenty of space to keep the defenseman in the fold this summer — given that, before the COVID-19 pandemic — the league projected that the salary-cap limit for the 2020-21 season was going to jump from $81.5 million to anywhere between $84 to $88.2 million.

Don Sweeney and the Bruins have already done wonders when it comes to clearing cap room this season — whether it be free themselves from a majority of David Backes' contract, saving about $1.3 million off of the Danton Heinen/Nick Ritchie swap and saving over $3 million when both the final years of Dennis Seidenberg’s buyout deal and Matt Beleskey’s deferred salary are cashed out this offseason.

Had the salary cap limit hit its projected peak of $88.2 million, the Bruins would have entered this offseason with close to $27 million in cap room to work with — more than enough to re-up Krug and retain RFAs such as Grzelcyk, Jake DeBrusk and others.

Now, given the massive loss of revenue due to COVID-19, it would seem like a given that those projected cap numbers for next year will be thrown out the window. If anything, a best-case scenario for the NHL might be maintaining its current $81.5 million limit next year — limiting many clubs that were chomping at the bit to get out of cap jail in 2020-21.

Given that the Bruins and the rest of the NHL don't have a clear idea of what the cap ceiling limit will be for next season, it does provide a bit of reasoning as to why Boston hasn't made much in terms of inroads with Krug on a new contract. Still, that doesn't make the situation any less trying for Krug and his family — given the state of limbo they're currently in.

"In terms of my situation here in Boston, we haven't continued any talks or made any progress in that regard ... I was just in the moment and playing games to help my team and hopefully push us in the right direction and win a championship. And now, with this season paused, I'm definitely wondering about what's going to happen.

"But in terms of clarity, there's pretty much been none from a business perspective. I can't put any assumption on it, but I can only guess things are going to look a little different from a salary-cap perspective next year and team structures are going to be affected by that. But I really have no clarity. I wish I had a better answer for you, but that's just the reality of the situation."

For now, there's not much that Krug can do when it comes to pondering what's next for him beyond this season. Even amid all of the uncertainty that's come with the ongoing pandemic, Krug is looking to keep a similar mindset from the one who took before the 2019-20 campaign commenced — help his club hoist a Stanley Cup, and let the chips fall where they may.

" The situation we're in right now is tough, but the reality is that it's going to end at some point," Krug said. "It's how we respond to that and how we can enjoy getting back together. Hopefully, we have a chance to go on and try to do something special. We'll see what happens. That's just how things have been going for us."