The St. Louis Blues could potentially go into next season without the services of defenseman Torey Krug. It’s been announced that the 33-year-old has been diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle and will be out indefinitely according to GM and POHO Doug Armstrong. If Krug requires surgery, he will likely be out for the entire 2024-25 regular season. The team will re-evaluate his status in 6-8 weeks.
Krug signed with the Blues as a free agent back in 2020, signing a seven-year, $45.5 million contract. In 77 games this past season, Krug recorded four goals and 39 points and had a career-worst -31 rating. His time with the Blues has come with many struggles and his contract isn’t on track to age the best. He’ll be entering his fifth season with the team.
St. Louis also almost traded Krug during the 2023 offseason. The Blues and Philadelphia Flyers were reportedly close on a deal for the Flyers to acquire Krug but one big issue occurred. A full no-trade clause was part of Krug’s contract and he decided to use it to nix the trade to Philadelphia. The rumored return for the Blues included defenseman Travis Sanheim and forward Kevin Hayes.
Later reports suggested that Krug nixed the trade due to not wanting to uproot his family, and he wanted to be part of the solution in St. Louis. Regardless, the trade likely would’ve been a swap of undesirable contracts from both teams, but Krug clearly didn’t want any part of it.
Krug’s Injury A Big Hit To St. Louis’ Blueline
Despite Krug’s struggles, his absence would be a major hit for the Blues’ defense core. For a team that has aspirations to get back into the playoffs, Krug’s current health status is not good news by any means.
Additionally, the Blues currently have about $8 million in cap space. If Krug is out for the season, it’s likely the team will look to make some moves to fill the hole he leaves behind.
