Bruins defenseman Torey Krug understands what lies ahead at the conclusion of the 2019-20 NHL season. As one of the Bruins NHLPA representatives, Krug was heavily involved in the calls that led up to the ratification of the current collective bargaining agreement.
Part of the deal Krug helped his fellow NHLPA representatives agree to includes a flat salary cap of $81.5M. This number will remain flat until the league earns $3.3M in annual revenue, something that is not expected in each of the next two seasons.
“I was on every single one of those phone calls and going through different scenarios, it was a good deal for us to get something to protect us in the short-term in order to have long-term success as a league,… Krug said Monday after the Bruins first official practice in Phase 3 of the NHL’s return-to-play plan. “I thought it was a good deal and I’m happy both sides ratified it so we can move on here.…
Moving on is something the Bruins and Krug may unfortunately be forced to do in a few short months as Krug is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Although general manager Don Sweeney said Sunday he will have conversations with all the team’s free agents as early as this week, Krug has accepted the fact that he will have to prepare for free agency.
“As far as myself, I don’t really know what’s going to happen. I’m just trying to take it day by day and just worry about the playoffs right now. I’ll have to probably prepare for free agency and we’ll have to see what happens,… said Krug. “But in terms of what’s going on with the Bruins and everything, that’s probably a question for someone else.…
Spending all nine of years of his professional hockey career in Boston, Krug has been a vital piece to the Bruins success. Developing into one of the game’s better power play quarterbacks, replacing Krug won’t be easy.
Although personal and team success has been important to Krug, at 29-years old and with a wife and young daughter at home, Krug’s priorities are a bit different than they were say five years ago.
“Any time you’re winning and you’re doing your job well, that kind of makes everything else line up in life,… said Krug. “For me, family is the number one thing. My priorities have changed quite a bit being a husband and a father. It’s quite a change in where your priorities lie. You have to think about schools, you have to think about quality of life, living in certain climates, things like that.…
What Krug’s next contract looks like remains to be seen, but there is no denying that the landscape of the league coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic may cost Krug a few bucks on that next contract.
On top of financial uncertainty across the league, Krug has to deal with the unique challenge that stands between now and unrestricted free agency. With how quickly teams and players must go from small workouts, to full practices, to meaningful playoff games, the risk of injury will likely be much greater as teams adapt to unprecedented times.
“Being a free agent that goes into this situation, it’s definitely risky. I’d be lying to you if I said it’s not. Having three, four months off, and then going right into the most intense hockey you could possibly play at any level, there’s always risk for injury no matter when you play,… said Krug.
“But certainly in this moment, you don’t have the normal training that you do, the preparation, all the work to make sure your body feels good and you can go in there without any worries.…
Although Krug and his family would like to know what their future will look like sooner rather than later, once the puck drops for the Bruins on August 2, Krug’s focus will be on the team’s ultimate goal: capturing the Stanley Cup.
“Once the puck drops and we start playing games, I’m going to just focus on that. Anything up to that point, we’ll see if anything can work out, but once we drop the puck I’m going to focus on that and then we’ll have to re-evaluate things afterwards,… said Krug.
Players had until 5:00 PM Monday to opt out of the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Steven Kampfer was the lone Bruin to do so.
As much as playing for the Stanley Cup is important to each and every player, Krug admits being away from his family, especially his daughter is going to be difficult for him.
“For me, it would be tough to go away for potentially upwards of two months. My daughter’s going to be almost 14, 15 months by then and she’s already changing so much by the day that I can’t imagine whats it’s going to be like not seeing her for two months, let alone the health concerns and everything that goes along with Covid and everything we’re going through,… said Krug.
“So that’ll be tough, the family aspect for sure. It’s important to every single guy, specifically on our team, to have the families be involved and be included, just to take that into account however you can because family’s so important to the team and each player.…
But with being away from his family, the risks surrounding the game and his contract status all on his mind, Krug remains focused on winning his first Stanley Cup.
“But right now, I’m just focused on this group right here and now and hopefully helping us win a championship and I’ll have to prepare for whatever’s to come after that.…