Hochman: He better be better. But here's betting Blues' Torey Krug has rejuvenated season
Honestly, if the Blues’ Torey Krug can stay healthy and maximize his assets, he fits the mold of that assist-machine defensive madman the Blues faced in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, what was his name again?
Oh, yeah.
It’s almost like they’re two different players.
But the 2023-24 version of Krug could return to his heyday form. After his worst year yet, he’s got a new defensive coach, a rejuvenated mindset and an extra reason to try to prove himself … this being that his team didn’t want him on the team.
Yep, the Blues tried to trade Krug to the Flyers this summer, multiple outlets reported, but Krug used his no-trade clause to remain with St. Louis.
Hell hath no fury than a veteran scorned.
And on Saturday night at Enterprise Center, the 5-foot-9 Krug got in his important third game of the preseason (he had dealt with a foot injury in camp). It’s a benchmark for many guys. He logged a team-high 23:36, while tallying an assist and blocking a team-high three shots.
“He's been great,” teammate Robert Thomas said, when asked about Krug bouncing back from a bad year. “To be hard on him for last year, I think there's a lot of guys, myself included, that didn't have good years. That's just the way it is. But, you know, we've come in, prepared and have been ready to go. … So it's a pretty exciting time to be in this room and pretty exciting time for the season to start.”
To an outsider, it might seem a bit insane — the Blues will try to fix their defense by playing all the same defensemen. But we’ve seen many of those Blues defensemen play elite hockey before. They’ve got it in them. And now, they have a new guru to try to activate what makes them great. He’s new assistant coach Mike Weber, a former National Hockey League defenseman.
“He’s pretty enthusiastic,” said Krug, 32. “Obviously, the way that he played in the league, he kind of brings that same motivation and same energy into how he's coaching. We kind of laugh every time he grabs a marker to draw up a drill (at practice), we know it's a battle drill. So he brings it. And it's fun to be part of that.”
As a defense, Krug said they need to prevent opponents’ grade-A chances more often.
Under Weber, Krug explained, “right now we're staying in good ice, defending from the inside-out, and forcing them to go through multiple layers in order to get chances. And I think it's been effective so far. … (Protecting the slot) is not just one guy’s responsibility. It's shared with all five guys. And if there's a breakdown, then we have someone else that's trying to put out a fire for the rest of the guys. So that's kind of the way that the new system is designed, in order for guys to help each other out.”
Krug has played nine seasons and 2022-23 might’ve been his worst one. He tallied 32 points in 63 games — tying a career-low with the 32 he had in 2020-21, but that was only in 51 games. Oh, and his plus-minus total in 2022-23 was minus-26.
Only seven defensemen in the entire NHL had a worse plus-minus than Krug did.
He better be better.
And he and Justin Faulk have shown some chemistry in the past. So there’s some hope.
When Krug is healthy — and Krug unfortunately is one of those guys who sometimes just isn’t — he can also make some noise on the power play. On ice, we’ll have to see, but on paper, the Blues power play looks good. You've got Krug quarterbacking at the point along with a foursome of forwards — Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and captain Brayden Schenn. The fellows netted a nice goal on Saturday night. With Krug out there, Thomas scored his second goal of the game, which St. Louis won, 5-3, against a lackluster Chicago group.
“Obviously, there are still parts of my game that I have to clean up and be more efficient and effective,” Krug said after the preseason finale. “But I’ve been skating for a while and three games should get you up to speed.”
Last season, only five teams allowed more goals than the Blues did. It got embarrassing. And, of course, the Blues missed the playoffs (in a season that started with Cup dreams). This year’s Blues really can make the playoffs, but similar to the Cardinals needing vast improvement from their pitchers, St. Louis’ hockey team needs vast improvement from its defensemen.
Many people are down on Krug. Skeptical about him. But here’s thinking he’ll back his assets up with strong, sturdy play. He seems like the type of athlete who would feed off the embarrassment of a bad season.
And maybe, if all goes well, Torey Krug will play like Torey Krug.
