Campus Maximus » We can never count out the existing team

"Even a few months ago, it was possible defenseman Torey Krug wasn’t long for Boston. He was a pending UFA and hadn’t made progress in contract talks. He was 28, still in his prime as one of the NHL’s top puck-moving defensemen. He was set to command a contract north of $8 million per season on the open market. https://www.giantsonlinefans.com/blackha...rby-dach-jersey And the Boston Bruins, with RFA left winger Jake DeBrusk needing a new contract, would have a tough time fitting Krug under the salary cap on paper. On top of the DeBrusk deal, they’d have to make a decision on re-upping captain Zdeno Chara and needed to sign a backup goalie with Jaroslav Halak becoming a UFA.
And that was before the COVID-19 shutdown put the league’s salary-cap structure very much in doubt. Forget the optimistic projections of $84 to $88 million. At this point, it’ll qualify as a surprise if the cap stays at its current $81.5-million mark, and every week and month that passes without NHL hockey revenues makes it more likely we’ll see the cap shrink. Krug’s salary, then, projects to be more difficult to fit under the cap now than it did even in February. Only five blueliners have more points than Krug over the past three seasons, and only two have more primary assists. He’s earned a massive payday.
So Krug’s comments during a conference call Tuesday had to make Bruins fans nervous. https://www.giantsonlinefans.com/blackha...n-havlat-jersey Speaking with the earnest tone that consistently makes him one of the sport’s more colorful interview subjects, https://www.giantsonlinefans.com/blackha...han-noel-jersey he had this to say about his contract situation when addressing the media:
“There are so many unknowns, and you can control only so much of that. For me personally, I really hope I did not play my last game as a Boston Bruin. It’s been a place for me and my family to grow. My love for the game and playing in front of these fans has been very special for me. (The situation) hasn’t given me any clarity. If anything, it’s made me wonder about this process a little bit more. I was just in the moment and playing games trying to help my team win and hopefully push us in the right direction to win a championship. https://www.giantsonlinefans.com/blackha...i-maatta-jersey And now, with the season paused, I’ve definitely wondered about what’s going to happen, but in terms of clarity there pretty much has been none. From a business perspective, I can’t put any assumptions on it, but I can only guess that 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 as well. I have no clarity, and I wish I had a better answer, but that’s just the reality of the situation.”
It’s no guarantee the NHL will complete the 2019-20 season, even if it wants to. Should world health professionals not deem pro sports safe to resume until a date at which the league must sacrifice this season to protect next season, Krug will go UFA before his next game with the Bruins, and it could end up being his last with them. What are his most likely landing spots once he goes to market?
1. BOSTON BRUINS
We’ll start with the obvious. We can never count out the existing team. Krug wants to stay, which matters. The Bruins still need Krug if they can find a way to fit him under the cap. Only one of Boston’s top five prospects in Future Watch 2020 (which can be purchased with our app here) is a defenseman, https://www.giantsonlinefans.com/blackha...ick-kane-jersey and Urho Vaakanainen’s ceiling is debatable. He’s a good prospect, but our scouting panel merely slotted him 71st among all NHL-affiliated farmhands. The point being, there isn’t a guaranteed replacement for Krug coming down the pipeline. This isn’t Colorado being able to trade Tyson Barrie because it had Cale Makar. The Bruins would love to keep Krug if they can. It’s possible he can fit. If the cap stayed at $81.5 million, they’d have north of $20 million available. It’s also possible Chara, 43, retires rather than re-ups. If the NHL ends up opting for salary rollbacks, it wouldn’t be a surprise if compliance buyouts accompanied them, so that would present GM Don Sweeney with another way to free up space for Krug. The Bruins are very much still in the game."