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Torey Krug, St. Louis Blues (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

How Torey Krug’s Injury Could Impact the Blues if it’s Career-Ending

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Anthony Testaguzza | Last updated May 10, 2025 9:15 AM ET

The St. Louis Blues held their end-of-season press conference on Tuesday after the team was knocked out of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Winnipeg Jets on May 4 in a 4-3 double overtime Game 7 loss. One of the main things general manager Doug Armstrong was asked about was defenseman Torey Krug.

Armstrong mentioned that Krug is “just getting almost normal to day-to-day living with his ankle. So, I’m not expecting him to play again. He’s hoping I’m wrong, and I’m hoping I’m wrong, and he’s pushing. But the surgery he had, it was very, very invasive.” To put it plainly, this could be the end of Krug’s career.

Blues Will Be Able to Manage Krug’s Salary

If the Blues want to wait out Krug’s recovery, they will have to pay him $6.5 million for the next two seasons (2025-26 and 2026-27) until he becomes a free agent in the 2027 offseason or unless they buy him out. The good news is that he would remain on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) until he’s healthy, meaning the Blues can exceed the salary cap even if they have to pay him.

The Blues have an LTIR pool of roughly $6.032 million, the amount they can exceed the cap. They are within the $88 million cap limit, which will increase to $95.5 million next season, meaning they will have enough space to find a possible replacement for Krug and still be able to acquire or sign players this offseason.

However, the organization has other contracts set to expire. Forward Radek Faksa and defenseman Ryan Suter will be unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this offseason, and goaltender Joel Hofer will be a restricted free agent (RFA). Also, Mathieu Joseph, Oskar Sundqvist, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker, Cam Fowler, and Nick Leddy will be UFAs next offseason. At the same time, Dylan Holloway, Alexandre Texier, Zachary Bolduc, Philip Broberg, and Matthew Kessel will be RFAs.

So, the Blues have a lot of contracts to deal with, and the cap break they will get with Krug’s injury should help cover some of the extensions for the pending free agents they want to re-sign.

Krug’s Spot on the Blues Is up for Grabs

With no idea if Krug will ever return, the Blues must find a solid replacement. In January, they acquired Fowler for that reason, and it worked out well in the playoffs, where he proved to be a great playmaking defenseman. However, Fowler is only 33 years old, and if the Blues choose to re-sign him for another three or four seasons, he will be around 37 years old and most likely near the end of his career, meaning more chances of his performance declining because of age.

The Blues have depth defensemen Kessel and Tyler Tucker to fill the vacant defensive spots if needed, but both of them recorded under 10 points this season, so they would not be sufficient to step into Krug’s spot unless they make a significant performance leap next season.

There aren’t many notable names on the UFA list this offseason, but if the Blues decide to take the free agency route, Aaron Ekblad is the only defenseman who might be of interest to the Blues.

The Blues could try to pursue an RFA. It worked out well for them last season when they extended offer sheets to Broberg and Holloway, who both had career-high seasons. The key would be to find a defenseman with the best potential and the least contract value, so they don’t have to give up high draft picks as compensation. In that case, some names to throw into the hat would be Ryker Evans and Cam York, who can provide some great two-way defense and play a similar style to Krug.

What the Blues Can Do for Now

According to Armstrong, this could be the end of Krug’s playing career after four seasons and 146 points with the Blues. Management will have to find a solid replacement who fits within their cap space. In the meantime, Blues fans will have to wait and see if Krug will make a comeback.