St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug — who joined the Blues in 2020, and now has a wife and three children — has made it clear that he wants to remain with the team despite trade rumors earlier in the summer. When the Blues asked him to go to a rebuilding team in the Flyers, it was likely a pretty quick, “no.” Choosing to block the transaction with his no-trade clause, at the time, Krug didn’t want to talk much about it.
But, in a recent interview with Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Krug explained his decision, stating, “I chose to stay here. I want to be a part of this room and love playing for this city and wearing the Blue Note, so it’s something I’m very excited about.”
The Blues were looking to shed salary and moving Krug, who has a contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million until 2026-27, would have helped a great deal when it came to sorting out their financial issues. But, that wasn’t really Krug’s problem to solve for the team. He wants to remain a vital part of the Blues’ roster and he feels he can be a part of the winning culture the team wants to have. He said, “I enjoy working and being a part of it. We had a pretty crappy year last year. When you don’t win, anything’s up for grabs and anything goes. That’s the business part of hockey. If you want to be a part of the solution, you put your foot down and you try to do your job.” He intends to do just that.
Are There Any Hard Feelings?
Krug talked about how he didn’t like hearing his name out there in trade talks and forcing him to reject a trade could put some pressure on the relationship between the defenseman and the GM, but from Krug’s perspective, he holds no ill will. “(But) I have a great relationship with Doug. I think very highly of him, and he’s one of the reasons I chose to come to St. Louis with his winning history and his past.” He added, “I’m sure he expects me to be a professional, pull on my end of the rope and be a part of this room.”
While Krug’s rejection of the offseason trade offer raised questions about his future with the Blues, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to help the team move him. It wasn’t just about not wanting to go to Philly. This was about not wanting to leave St. Louis. If the team isn’t in contention closer to the trade deadline, his position may change, but Krug still has a lot of time left on his contract.
More must-reads: