The curious case of Torey Krug.

The Boston Bruins have taken a 1 game lead in the Stanley Cup Final, but for the fans who watched Game 3 unfold on Saturday night it feels like the Bruins took a commanding lead in this series. Although Boston currently only sits up 2 games to 1 after the first 3 games of this series, there 7 - 2 trouncing of the St. Louis Blues has many believing that they are destined to win the 2019 Stanley Cup Championship.

The Bruins of course still must win 2 more games before they can be called champions and it is clear that the St. Louis Blues will not be going quietly into the night. The Blues have bounced back from Game 3 losses multiple times already in these Stanley Cup Playoffs and they will look to do so again on Monday night. That being said the key players in Boston's run to the Stanley Cup Final have already made themselves known and that may cause some unique problems for Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney come this offseason, regardless of whether or not the Bruins are successful in their bid for another Stanley Cup.

A lot of the key players for the Bruins in the 2019 playoffs have been very familiar names, goaltender Tuukaa Rask is likely the odds on favorite for the Conn Smythe at this point, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and even captain Zdeno Chara. One name that may have caught some fans by surprise this offseason is that of veteran defenseman Torey Krug, a player who was the subject of rampant trade speculation prior to the start of the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season and a player who now also finds his name being associated with the Conn Smythe.

Krug, to put it mildly, has been dynamite for the Boston Bruins during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Krug has recorded 2 goals and a whopping 14 assists through the 20 games he has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, including a record setting 4 power play points on Saturday night. Krug became the only Boston Bruins' player to ever record 4 power play points in a single game and only the ninth defenseman in the history of the National Hockey League to pick up 4 points in a Stanley Cup Final game. What makes this all the more impressive is that in many ways Krug acts as the quarterback on the Bruins power play, a power play that is a huge part of the reason Boston's offense has been so lethal in these playoffs. 

Even head coach Bruce Cassidy has pointed out how criminally underrated Krug is around the National Hockey League and he was asked about the perception of Krug during a recent media availability. Cassidy made it clear that not only are Krug's offensive skills invaluable to the organization, but that his defensive game has also been elevated during this run.

“Well hopefully not in Boston. Certainly not in our locker room. Never has been,” Cassidy said as per Boston Hockey Now. “When I said that, it was in the context of, ‘He’s an offensive defenseman, he’s a power play specialist.’ And I think people don’t realize how hard he is when he wants to play that physical game. He does play big minutes now lately against good players with [Brandon] Carlo. … Torey’s stepped up, and he wanted that responsibility to be a second-pair behind [Zdeno Chara], playing good lines. And he’s met the challenge.”

The difficult now for the Bruins will come with what to do with Krug following this run. Krug will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and his cap hit of $5.25 million looks like an absolute steal when taking this season into context. Krug will no doubt be looking for a raise and with a huge number of Bruins players needing new contracts, players  like Marcus Johansson, Danton Heinen, Brandon Carlo, Charlie McAvoy, and Noel Acciari all needing new deals it will be a very tight squeeze indeed. The Bruins have shown a willingness to deal Krug before, if the rampant rumors from last summer are to be believed, and they do have upcoming players like Matt Grzelcyk who can fill a similar role moving forward. That being said can you really afford to give up a piece like Torey Krug after how good he has been in these playoffs? 

That will be one of the most difficult question for general manager Don Sweeney to answer this offseason.