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Boston Bruins Year in Review: Torey Krug

June 1, 2015, 4:16 AM ET [8 Comments]
Ty Anderson
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The 2014-15 season was a year of hits and misses for the Black and Gold.

In spite of a 96-point season, the Bruins saw their seven-year postseason streak come to an end, realized that their core may be aging faster than they originally anticipated, and ultimately saw their general manager take the fall for the club’s shortcomings. In the month of May (and June), we’ll take a look at the season of every player on the B’s and their future with the club heading on into 2015-16.

The series rolls on with the team’s most pivotal puckmoving defenseman, Torey Krug.

The Basics

Player: Torey Krug
Age: 24
2014-15 Stats: 12 goals, 39 points, plus-13 rating in 78 games played.
Contract: $3.4 million cap-hit through 2015-16.
How he got here: Signed as undrafted college free agent in Mar. 2012.

Overview

For some reason, it seems as if the legitimacy of Torey Krug has always been in question. From the moment he got here, in fact. Maybe it’s because the Hub of Hockey has burned before by puckmovers-that-could-have been -- Matt Lashoff, Matt Hunwick, Steven Kampfer are just a few that come to mind) -- but there was much doubt as to Krug’s ability to be an impact defenseman for the B’s, even after a record-setting second-round playoff series in 2013.

(And just in case you napped through that series, Krug scored four goals in Boston’s five-game series win over Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers, becoming the first rookie d-man in National Hockey League history to score four goals in his first five career playoff contests.)

But Krug silenced those critics by way of a highly successful 14-goal, 40-point 2013-14 campaign, and equally impressive playoff run that featured two goals and 10 points in 12 games. With a combined 50 points in 91 games between the regular season and playoffs, Krug averaged .55 points per game.

That was more than proficient for a defender in his first year of full-time NHL duty. And if this year’s mark -- 12 goals and 39 points in 78 games, a .50 point per game rate -- told us anything, it’s that you have no real reason to not buy into the 5-foot-9 Bruin being anything ‘cept the real deal.

“I think a big part of it for me is the mental side of the game. There were stretches throughout the season where frankly, you fall into the trap of hanging your head and being frustrated, and being pissed off,” Krug said of his developments this year. “And then you realize that some things are just out of your control, and if you approach the game with the right mental attitude, then things just are better, overall. I think the mental side of things, the consistency, was a big thing that I learned.”

The Good

The Michigan-born Krug’s best stretch of play came in a month or so run from Dec. to Jan. that included an impressive five goals and 15 points in 18 games played. Over that stretch, Krug recorded points in all but five of those 18 contests, while the Black and Gold won 11 of those 18 games. The B’s also lost three of the five games in which Krug was held without a point. But beyond the numbers (and most impressive), however, was Krug’s ability to rise to the challenge of top-four minutes down the stretch.

With Dougie Hamilton on the shelf and Dennis Seidenberg in need of a more mobile partner, Krug found himself with a larger role for the Boston point late in the year, and didn’t drown.

“It was a tough year, ups and downs and everything that comes with it, and then at the end, obviously playing more minutes and a bigger role with the team, and it was fun for me,” said Krug. “Obviously if we were winning, it would say that everybody’s doing their job a little bit better, but I think it’s more fun to play against better players. It’s more fun to play more often, because your role and you’re playing more, and you’re just into it. I think I definitely answered that I can do it. Personally, it’s obviously fun to have those challenges and to play against better players. The hockey’s more pure, and it’s fun to compete. So I hope that I definitely proved that it’s a step in the right direction.”

The Bad

The biggest minus for Krug came in a nine-game stretch from Feb. 28 to Mar. 17 saw Krug finish the game without a point in all but one contest. The Bruins scored 23 goals over that stretch, too, meaning that Krug was involved in just one of Boston’s goals scored (4.34%). It was a funk that certainly kept the former Michigan State Spartan from his second 40-point year in as many seasons.

The Future

The Bruins signed Krug to a one-year extension worth $3.4 million in early March, and the obvious belief is that he’ll be here with the B’s in 2015-16. Why a one-year deal? Well, Krug wants to prove his worth as a top-four defenseman for the Bruins, a role he’s sampled a bit (as touched on earlier), but yet to solidify moving forward. It’ll be a tall task for the undrafted talent that’s made a habit of proving people wrong, but there’s little that’s led me to believe it’s an insurmountable one, either. Krug’s a gamer, simply put. He’s one of the hardest working players on this club -- both on and off the ice -- and the Bruins would be straight-up stupid to let him walk or even entertain the idea of trading him now.

Previous Bruins Year in Reviews
Gregory Campbell
Brett Connolly
Milan Lucic
Reilly Smith
Danny Paille
Loui Eriksson
Chris Kelly
Dougie Hamilton
Carl Soderberg
Matt Bartkowski
Dennis Seidenberg

Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
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