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Torey Krug

Torey Krug Placed On Injured Reserve

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After sustaining an upper-body injury on December 23rd, Torey Krug has been placed on injured reserve. The Boston Bruins have recalled Steven Kampfer from the minor leagues to take his place under emergency conditions. Krug left the game on Monday after taking a hard hit from Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, though it is not clear exactly what the ailment is at this point.

If Krug misses any significant time, the Bruins will have to find other ways of moving the puck quickly to their talented forwards. The 28-year old has been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the league the last several years and had 26 points in his first 33 games this season. That included 14 powerplay assists, a spot that the Bruins will need to find a replacement for as well.

Obviously the exit of Krug doesn’t completely torpedo a Bruins team that sits firmly in first place in the Atlantic Division, but the group had already shown cracks in their armor recently. Boston is just 2-4-4 in their last ten games and do have a hard-charging Toronto Maple Leafs team now within nine points. The ship needs to be righted at some point, and losing Krug certainly doesn’t help.

Boston Bruins Waive Steven Kampfer

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Monday: Kampfer and T.J. Tynan, who was also placed on waivers, have cleared according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Both can now be sent to the minor leagues.

Sunday: In an inevitable move, the Boston Bruins have announced today that veteran defenseman Steven Kampfer has been placed on waivers. The team hopes that he will clear waivers and can be reassigned to AHL Providence, but the team is taking a risk by exposing the ten-year pro. Kampfer has been held scoreless in four games so far this year, but recorded six points in 35 games with Boston last year and added another point in three playoff games.

The decision to waive Kampfer was inevitable not due to his play, but due to the roster crunch in Boston. Kampfer, who began his career with the Bruins back in 2010, returned to the team before last season as part of the return from the New York Rangers in exchange for Adam McQuaid. Kampfer was seen by many as a throw-in, but ended up playing a crucial role in 2018-19. Beginning the year as the team’s eighth defenseman, Kampfer was the only one of that eight who did not miss time due to injury in a season that featured 12 different defensemen for Boston. Kampfer was also the only one of those 12 who was not under team control beyond the end of the year. That changed in June, when the Bruins first move after the Stanley Cup Final was to re-sign Kampfer to a two-year, $1.6MM deal. The length and non-minimum value of the deal was a nice reward and promise of commitment for Kampfer’s hard work that season.

However, the contract was likely also created with impending waiver exposure in mind. The Bruins knew that with seven bona fide NHL defenders under contract – Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, John Moore, Matt Grzelcyk, and Kevan Miller – and the emergence of Connor Clifton as an NHL option, the odds that Kampfer could stick on the NHL roster all year was slim. They hoped that the extended term or slightly higher cap hit could dissuade teams from claiming Kampfer to serve in that same valuable depth role. Last week, when Clifton lost his waiver exemption and Moore returned from injury, it became clear that this theory would soon be tested.

With Miller still working toward a return to health, top defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen playing well in a recent NHL stint, and veteran Alexander Petrovic excelling in Providence, the Bruins could survive the loss of Kampfer if he was to be claimed. However, the team could potentially need him more next year, after the likely free agent departures of Miller and Petrovic and possible retirement of Chara. Kampfer’s hard-working style and defensive awareness paired with considerable experience makes him a valuable asset, even if he is not getting regular ice time. For that reason, more than a few teams will entertain making a claim, especially contenders with depth concerns on the blue line. The Bruins can only hope that the other 30 teams decide he is not worthy of an NHL roster spot, even though the defending Eastern Conference champs proved otherwise last year.

Atlantic Notes: Krug, Fabbri, Moore

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While there has been plenty of debate on what the Boston Bruins should do with pending UFA defenseman Torey Krug this summer, there are other factors that the team must consider besides the team’s salary cap situation in the future.

The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes the Bruins also need to consider the upcoming Seattle expansion draft as well. The scribe writes that if Krug is retained, the team is more likely to protect four defensemen in Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk. The problem is the team would then only be able to protect four forwards, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and either Charlie Coyle or Jake Debrusk. One of those two would likely be picked by Seattle.

However, if the team opted not to brink back Krug, the team might be able to choose the 7-3-1 protection format instead, which would allow Boston to protect those three defensemen (minus Krug) and then protect up to seven forwards, which might include two more forwards such as Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork as well.

  • Despite expecting to have some cap space this offseason, the Detroit Red Wings do have an inordinate number of restricted free agent forwards. In fact, the team has 11 RFAs they will have to deal with this summer. The Athletic’s Max Bultman (subscription required) examines some of the forwards and what their chances of coming back are. While Anthony Mantha’s status isn’t in doubt and Andreas Athanasiou status could end in a trade, there still are a number of forwards who could be fighting for a contract. The scribe writes that of all those forwards, many who must have solid campaigns this season, Robby Fabbri has definitely earned himself another contract with the Red Wings. The 23-year-old has established himself immediately with the team, posting 10 points in his first 13 games with the franchise. While it remains a long season and his offense could drop off, he has enough potential that it’s very likely the team will bring him back.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the team could be getting back forward Trevor Moore soon, according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. The 24-year-old has been out since Nov. 15 with a shoulder injury, but Keefe said that Moore could make his return by the end of the team’s current four-game road trip that starts today, which could put him on schedule to return at some point next week. Moore has averaged 14:00 per game and has three goals and five points in 21 games as a bottom-six forward.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins Defense, Senators, Cozens, Taylor

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The Bruins have received some good news and some bad news on the injury front when it comes to their back end.  The team announced (Twitter links) that defenseman Torey Krug will return tonight after missing the past five games with an upper-body injury.  Despite missing those games, he still leads the team in points by a defender with 13 in 17 contests.  Meanwhile, John Moore is now participating in practices with a full contact jersey but is still a couple of weeks away from returning from the shoulder issue that has caused him to miss the entire season so far.

However, Kevan Miller has suffered a small setback and head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated they’ll be cautious with the blueliner.  Miller has missed the entire year so far with a lower-body issue and even if this is a minor setback, it only will further delay his season debut.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Ottawa’s defensive depth has been tested considerably over the last few days and accordingly, it should come as little surprise that they’re looking to add a blueliner via trade, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He notes that GM Pierre Dorion has been on the lookout for help on the back end for basically a month now.  The Senators are off to a relatively strong start compared to their preseason expectations and at some point, the focus could shift from adding a depth veteran or two to trying to target more of an impact player that can be a factor beyond this season as well.
  • Although the Sabres are quickly running out of forwards to recall from the minors (they only have two healthy ones that are on NHL deals), head coach Ralph Krueger told reporters, including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, that they are not considering recalling center Dylan Cozens from the WHL. As they have just 11 healthy forwards on the roster, they are in emergency conditions which makes a recall possible but it appears they don’t want to give him a look at this time.  In the meantime, they’ll eagerly await the returns of centers Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson who are both listed as day-to-day.
  • Still with Buffalo, the team announced (Twitter link) that coach Chris Taylor will return to AHL Rochester to resume his duties as the bench boss of the Americans. He had been up with the Sabres while assistant coach Don Granato was dealing with a severe case of pneumonia, one that caused him to miss the last seven weeks.

Boston Bruins Place Torey Krug On Injured Reserve

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Expected to miss at least the next two games, the Boston Bruins announced they have placed defenseman Torey Krug on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The team has recalled Paul Carey from the Providence Bruins of the AHL.

For Boston, the injury is just another adding to the list of injured Bruins, as the team is also without David Backes, Kevan Miller, John Moore, Jake Debrusk, Brett Ritchie, Zachary Senyshyn and Karson Kuhlman. Krug has been out since suffering the upper-body injury on Nov. 10 against Philadelphia. Krug had already been ruled out for both weekend games and with the injury having occurred almost a week ago, the team could activate him early next week if he’s ready.

Carey has been a solid addition to the Providence Bruins. The 31-year-old forward, who has mostly been a journeyman through the AHL, fared well last year with Providence, scoring 22 goals in 30 games and has also played well this year with seven goals and 13 points in 17 games. He has played 99 NHL games over the course of his career, his most impressive season having played 60 games with the New York Rangers in the 2017-18 season.

Bruins Begin Extension Talks With Torey Krug

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As soon as the Bruins got contracts done with RFA defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, discussions quickly shifted as to whether or not they’d be able to keep pending UFA Torey Krug in the fold.  Those talks have indeed started as Krug confirmed to reporters, including NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty, that he’s hopeful about getting a deal done at some point:

It’s exciting. Now that we’re in the regular season I don’t want to talk too much about it just out of respect for my teammates and the process. But it’s obviously exciting when you’re talking about where you could be for the future while taking care of the present obviously. That’s the most important thing. But it’s an exciting time and hopefully things work out.

Meanwhile, GM Don Sweeney declined to comment on any specifics of the negotiations.

The 28-year-old will carry a $5.25MM cap hit this season, one that is certainly a team-friendly deal given the offensive impact he provides after cracking the 50-point mark in each of the last three seasons while actually producing at a higher point-per-game rate in the postseason.  He’s certainly going to be in line for a considerable raise as a result.

Boston currently has a little under $58MM in committed contracts for 2020-21 to a total of 13 players.  The bridge deals that McAvoy and Carlo ultimately took keep their AAV low enough to keep Krug in the fold although the back-loaded nature of their deals means that their cap hit will be a fair bit higher next time around which is something that Sweeney will need to keep in mind.  That said, there appears to be enough cap space for the Bruins to be able to afford to keep their top offensive threat on the back end in the fold for the foreseeable future.

East Notes: Krug, Jarry, Rasmussen

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With Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo now signed, Bruins GM Don Sweeney can turn his focus to his next crop of free agents, a group that is headlined by defenseman Torey Krug who is slated to be unrestricted in July.  Sweeney told NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty that he expects to have some extension discussions with Krug’s camp once he has a chance to do some forecasting.  The back-loaded nature of McAvoy and Carlo’s deals means that their back end will automatically cost a fair bit more a few years from now while they already have over $56MM in commitments for 2020-21 so there is definitely some projections that will need to be done on Boston’s end.  Krug’s offensive ability has him in line for a notable raise on his current $5.25MM AAV.

Elsewhere around the East:

  • The Penguins explored trades involving goaltender Tristan Jarry this summer, notes Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. That’s not entirely surprising considering the three-year deal that they handed Casey DeSmith last season which makes Jarry the potential odd man out.  He needs to clear waivers to make it back to the AHL so presumably, teams that might have interest would be limiting their offers accordingly knowing there’s a good chance that he’ll be available for free over the next couple of weeks.
  • Detroit’s preference is to develop Michael Rasmussen as a center despite spending most of last year on the wing, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. As a result, it appears as if there’s a good chance that the 20-year-old will spend a good chunk of the season in the minors after being a full-time NHL player a year ago.  Part of the reason for that was that he wasn’t eligible to play in the AHL due to his age and the NHL-CHL agreement but that’s no longer in effect now.  Rasmussen was the ninth-overall pick back in 2017 but with the Red Wings having decent depth down the middle already, dropping down a level may be the best way to develop him at his natural position.

Kevan Miller Confirmed To Miss Start Of Season

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Last month, the Boston Bruins revealed that defenseman John Moore would miss the beginning of the regular season due to off-season shoulder surgery. At the time, they also mentioned that Kevan Miller was also at risk of missing the start to the year while continuing to recover from a fractured knee cap. The team has now followed that up with confirmation that Miller will not participate in the preseason and will not be ready to begin the season, per NBC Sports Boston.

Miller, 31, struggled through a litany of injuries last season that caused him to miss 43 regular season games and the Bruins’ entire playoff run. It was the fractured knee cap that cost him the stretch run and postseason and severely limited his off-season training. GM Don Sweeney stated that Miller is not even ready to begin skating with the team yet and is a ways away from a return at this point. Even once he is healthy, one has to question what Miller’s role will be in Boston moving forward. The physical rearguard was clearly slowed by his injuries when active last season, recording just seven assists, playing a less intense style in his own end and, as a result, logging his lowest average ice time since his rookie season. Given his injury history and continuing concerns, the Bruins extended fellow righties Connor Clifton and Steven Kampfer to multi-year deals this off-season, while the newly extended Charlie McAvoy and yet-to-be-signed Brandon Carlo are clearly the future on the right side of the blue line. Entering a contract year, it seems unlikely that Miller has a future in Boston and could find it hard to earn starts and ice time over his potential 2020-21 replacements once he returns.

While Miller and Moore are out, the Bruins’ depth should be capable of shouldering the burden. McAvoy is back under contract and the team will likely move on Carlo soon. In fact, Sweeney mentioned that the absences of Miller and Moore could allow the Bruins to employ Long-Term Injured Reserve if necessary to sign Carlo. Those two plus Clifton and Kampfer give the Bruins good options on the right side. On the left side, captain Zdeno Chara has faced his own injury concerns this off-season, but it is looking optimistic for a healthy start to the season. Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk, and numerous promising minor league prospects provide options behind him as well. The team will also host Alex Petrovic on a PTO in camp, who would provide even more stability as an experienced stay-at-home defenseman. Whoever returns earlier from injury between Miller and Moore will likely have a leg up in winning back regular play time, while the other could struggle to carve out a role. The four years remaining on Moore’s contract do give him an advantage over Miller though, again putting into question the immediate future of the injury-prone veteran.

Morning Notes: Krug, Coyne-Schofield, Horvat

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The Boston Bruins have two defensemen still unsigned in Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy, so Torey Krug’s contract negotiations haven’t even started yet. That’s what the veteran defenseman told media including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, explaining that though he hasn’t had any talks with the Bruins about extending his contract—which is scheduled to expire after the 2019-20 season—he can understand why as they try to get his teammates back in time for training camp.

Krug will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if an extension isn’t worked out, and likely among the most sought-after names on the open market. The 28-year old is coming off three consecutive seasons in which he has recorded at least 51 points, including an incredible 53 in just 64 games last year. Krug could also have been in the running for the Conn Smythe trophy had the Bruins taken home the Stanley Cup, after posting 18 points in 24 postseason games. Though he has been involved in constant trade speculation for the last several seasons, Krug may carry even more importance on the Boston blueline to start the season if either Carlo or McAvoy (or both) miss time.

  • Kendall Coyne-Schofield will join the San Jose Sharks broadcast team as a color analyst for select games this season, as she continues her boycott of the professional women’s hockey leagues. Coyne-Schofield, who gained increased public exposure when she took part in the NHL All-Star Fastest Skater competition last season, was part of a group of more than 200+ women who decided to announce a boycott in May to further their pursuit of increased resources for the women’s game. The PWHPA, formed soon after, will be putting on a showcase of the top talent this fall, but Coyne-Schofield will not be taking part in the Toronto stop on September 21.
  • Bo Horvat is ready to take on the captaincy of the Vancouver Canucks, if the team decides to give it to him. Horvat told media including Frank Seravalli of TSN that he would welcome the honor and that it “would change the type of player [he] wants to be.” Horvat was dubbed a potential future captain from the moment he hit the ice for the first time with the Canucks in 2014, and has developed into an extremely important part of their lineup. The 24-year old center is coming off his best season as a professional, in which he scored 27 goals and 61 points in 82 games.

Eastern Notes: Belmont Project, Krug, Botterill

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Despite numerous recent delays in the groundbreaking of construction of the New York Islanders future 19,000-seat arena in the Belmont Park area, the Islanders got some good news today. Empire State Development hopes to approve the final environmental impact statement next week, according to David Winzelberg of the Long Island Business News.

The project has been held up due to the environmental report, but Empire State Development has scheduled a meeting of its board of directors and seek “authorization to accept and approve” it. The approval of the final environmental impact statement should be the final step to beginning the construction of the $1.18 billion plan to build the Islanders new arena, a 250-room hotel and a 435,000 square-foot retail village onto the Belmont property.

On a separate note, however, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was also scheduled to be on Long Island Monday to announce a new railroad station at the Belmont project, but has postponed that appearance.

  • The Boston Herald’s Marisa Ingemi wonders if this might be the right time for the Boston Bruins to seriously consider moving defenseman Torey Krug. With a number of restricted free agents they must deal with, including an incredibly pricey one for Charlie McAvoy as well as contracts for Brandon Carlo and Danton Heinen, the team might want to free up some money. Throw in some of their holes on offense and their depth on defense, moving Krug might make some sense. The 28-year-old is on the final year of his contract and will likely get a significant raise from his $5.25MM current salary. Will Boston want to commit to a 29-year-old long-term?
  • The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon (subscription required) writes that while the hiring of Jason Botterill two years ago hasn’t resulted in immediate success for the Buffalo Sabres, the same can’t be said for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Since Botterill and Randy Sexton took over in May of 2017, the two have put quite a bit of effort into rebuilding their AHL affiliate, which has now made the playoffs two years in a row after missing the playoffs for three straight years before that. That has been evident once again this week when the team added a number of top AHL talent, including forwards Jean-Sebastian Dea, Curtis Lazar and C.J. Smith, defenseman John Gilmour and goaltender Andrew Hammond. The belief is that Botterill believes that AHL success should only add that needed depth that can eventually help the NHL squad as well.

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