Don Sweeney faced some difficult choices regarding free agents after the Boston Bruins were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in Toronto during the second round of the 2020 Playoff Bubble. Eventually, defenseman Torey Krug, an undrafted blueliner, found a new home in the Central Division after Sweeney allowed him to leave in free agency.
It was the right choice for Sweeney to let him walk.
Not a single question was raised. Krug signed a seven-year, $45 million contract with the St. Louis Blues, who defeated the Black and Gold in seven games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. with a $6.5 million AAV. Sweeney simply could not pay out that much money. An NTC, which players seem to get far too easily these days—but hey, they earn them—was included in the agreement. It appears that the Blues may make him accessible in the summertime now.
For the Daily Faceoff, Torey Krug is included on the NHL Insiders Trade Board List
The Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis apparently had an agreement in place when Krug decided to stay with the Blues instead of using his NTC. On Frank Seravalli’s Trade Board List, Krug was ranked No. 11. He identified Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, and Krug as the three defenseman that St. Louis may transfer.
Let’s be clear about this: the Bruins have no business discussing a deal for Krug. Would he agree to come back to Boston and waive his clause? He would, I’m sure. Would he be welcomed back by former teammates who were still in the Black and Gold? They probably would, but it wouldn’t be the wisest thing for Sweeney to do so this summer to add a term to his contract.
The Bruins, who still have some clout with a 15-team roster as of July 1, are aware of the difficulty in convincing a player to forgo his non-transferable contract in order to finalize a transaction, as Linus Ullmark apparently did back in March. It will be fascinating to watch if Krug is traded as the Blues look to reassemble and add some players in order to return to the Western Conference playoffs in 2024–2025.
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