Torey Krug says he would take less to stay with Bruins on new deal
Apr 27, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; Bruins defenseman Torey Krug motions to the official during the third period in game two of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Bruins defenseman Torey Krug doesn’t want to leave the only NHL city he’s called home.
So much so that the 28-year-old Krug, who is entering the final year of a four-year, $5.25 million per year deal that’s turned into a real bargain when weighed against Krug’s production over that span, is interested in taking a hometown discount to make sure he doesn’t have to do just that next summer.
From Krug’s chat with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan:
“Would I take less to stay in Boston?” Krug says. “It’s something that I’ve talked about with my family and my agent. It’s something I’m interested in. How much less — that’s a question that will be answered at a certain time. I think something that’s fair will be able to be worked out both ways. As long as they want me, I think something could be done, realistically. Everyone does it. How much they do it, is kind of their own opinion and [dependent] on their own circumstances.”
With or without a discount, keeping Krug should be an obvious priority for the Bruins. The 5-foot-9 defender is on the heels of a career-high 47 assists in 64 games last year, and not all that far removed from scoring a career-high 59 points in 2017-18. There’s also the comfort in knowing that Krug can and has performed at a high level throughout his postseason career, with 11 goals and 46 points in 62 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
An unsigned Krug could hit the 2020 market as the top free agent defenseman available, too.
In terms of a discount, it’s worth mentioning that this probably, most definitely wouldn’t mean a paycut from Krug’s current $5.25 million salary, but rather a raise that could see him make anywhere between $5.8 million to $6.5 million instead of the $7 million (and maybe upwards) he could command on the open market.
But it’s not as easy as it sounds, with the Bruins still looking to re-up restricted free agent defensemen Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy, and with a 2020 free agent group that includes restricted free agents Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk, as well as pending unrestricted free agent and Weymouth, Mass. native Charlie Coyle.
The Bruins, for what it’s worth, have yet to approach Krug about a potential extension.
