Swan song for Krug?
Focused on the moment, but knows it might be the end of his time in Hub
Torey Krug is not one to ignore the elephant in the room.
The Bruins’ dynamic defenseman has not been shy about saying how much he’s loved his time in Boston and that he wishes it could continue. But without a contract for next year and the salary cap remaining flat for next season and possibly beyond, the pending unrestricted free agent – who’ll be one of the top targets in the league when the market opens – knows that the upcoming Stanley Cup tournament could very well be his last chance to become one of the many Boston athletes to win a championship over the past two decades.
With that uncertain future, Krug is ready to dive into this Cup run with his teammates and enjoy it as much as he can.
“One of the biggest things we talk about in this locker room is being aware of the situation in front of you and then accepting that situation. For me, it’s no secret that this could potentially be the last run I have of winning a Cup with this group and, not only that, I get to do it while stuck in a bubble with those guys and get to enjoy their company for 24/7, for as long as we’re there,” said Krug.
“I’m just trying to enjoy it. Obviously we have to remain focused. We have a job to do. But that’s part of the process that we all enjoy in here. It’s always fun to go to battle with these guys. I’m not approaching the games any differently. I’m still willing to sacrifice and do anything for this group as they are for anyone else in this locker room. That’s the fun part of it, you go to battle and then we get to return to a hotel room and reminisce on the game and create better memories … I’m excited about the opportunity and I know those guys are as well.”
Krug is also generally pleased with how the short training camp has gone. When discussing various return to play scenarios earlier in the spring, Krug had expressed some concern about getting enough time to get back into shape and playing form. But he’s been pleasantly surprised with how much was accomplished in the two-week span. He said his own injury history – and quick returns – helped to ease his mind.
“I feel pretty good to be honest. I was a little skeptical coming into this but then I realized that I’ve gone a few times in my career where I’ve gone with two, three, four months off and then jumped right onto the ice and into regular season action,” said Krug. “I feel good. The energy in the room and on the ice has been spectacular, so we’re all excited to jump into game action. It feels about time now. Practice is not the fun part of the job for us. Getting into game action is, but we’re excited and eager to go.”
While Krug is looking forward to being holed up in a hotel with his teammates – sort of like an elongated Pee Wee tournament – the B’s will also be sharing their Toronto hotel with NHLers they could be facing off against. Krug plans on keeping the proper social distance – and then some.
“I don’t have any interest” in mingling, said Krug. “I have friends around the league, guys I had played with, guys I grew up playing with and have known for a long time, but we’re going into this bubble with a job to do and we’re going there for a purpose. It’s very tough to be on the ice against a team and opposing players, you’re going to war with them every single night, especially in a playoff series. And then to see guys outside of the rink, it’s tough to do. I think I speak for most guys in the room that we’re going out there to just stay together collectively. There will be time to interact with those guys at a different time. I think most guys across the league would say the same thing.”
So, for now at least, Krug is all about Black and Gold.
Who’s on Krejci’s right?
Ever since Jarome Iginla left for Colorado after the 2013-14 season, there has been a revolving door on David Krejci‘s right wing, and it’s anyone’s guess who’ll be playing in that spot when the puck drops for real in Toronto on Aug. 2. The hope was that Ondrej Kase would be the man, but he has yet to practice with the B’s. Jack Studnicka has seen time there the last couple of days, as has Anders Bjork. Karson Kuhlman has also filled the spot.
Krejci, who has been rekindling his chemistry with Jake DeBrusk on the left during camp, seemed unfazed by the uncertainty on the right.
“I’ve been skating with Jake the last couple of weeks and it seems like he came into camp in really good shape. He’s skating and he’s handling the puck really well so that’s good to see,” said Krejci. “And on the right side, yeah, we’ve been rotating some players. But it doesn’t matter. Individually, you have to show up each practice, prepare and then whoever is on your line, just try to talk a little bit, find the chemistry. It’s a little bit more challenging when the right wingers are rotating, but it is what it is. There’s nothing you can do about it. All you can do is focus on yourself and be prepared as you can be and talk a lot,. I think talking is very important, especially now when we don’t have much time to do things. So you have to talk on and off the ice to figure things out and go from there.” …
Kase and David Pastrnak remained out – both skated just one day in Phase 3 and not at all with the full team – and Nick Ritchie missed his second day in a row. Paul Carey also made his way on to the absentee list for the first time.
While not exactly 100 percent positive about it, coach Bruce Cassidy said he expects every player on the playoff roster to be on the team charter to Toronto on Sunday.
“It’s been indicated to me – and, of course, that could change – but, yes, that’s the plan right now,” said Cassidy.
Cassidy expects much of the angst around the coronavirus to dissipate once teams get to Toronto.
“I think it will fade a lot,” said Cassidy. “I think once we’re in there, it might be the safest place to be in terms of not getting infected. You’re going to have some outside people coming in that are working there but they’re all screened and tested as well. So you really shouldn’t come in contact. The only way you would is if you left and that’s pretty punitive if your do, both internally from your teammates that you let them down and from the National Hockey League. So I think once we’re there, everyone can sort of take a deep breath and feel a lot safer. Hopefully that gets us all focused on the task at hand. The drawback is that you don’t get to go home.”