Torey Krug lit the New York Rangers up by doing things other rookies have never done. But is he more than just a super sub?
On a team of giants—both proverbial and literal—a regular-sized Jack has suddenly raised his stock in Beantown. Torey Krug has only played five playoff games with the Boston Bruins—he was called up for the second round, becoming the third rookie to fill a hole in the lineup after veterans Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden went down with injuries—but instead of just filling in, Krug filled the net. He scored four goals in those five games against the New York Rangers, helping push the Bruins into the Eastern Conference final, becoming the unexpected hero in Boston and, just maybe, making himself impossible to sit.
Not that the Bruins were unclear about what the 22-year-old is capable of. At Michigan State, Krug was one of the best offensive players in college hockey. Last season, as captain of the Spartans, he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and became the first defenceman to lead his conference in scoring in more than 25 years. This year, he was fourth in American Hockey League blueliner scoring.
At only five-foot-nine and 180 lb., Krug is a misfit on the Bruins blueline, led by Zdeno Chara, who’s nearly a foot taller. But regardless of his size, there are few shortcomings in Krug’s game. He hits hard and is consistently physical. And while others a few inches taller and 30 lb. heavier do that, too, Krug makes himself indispensable with his rocket-fuelled, laser-guided shot. That’s what made him the first rookie defenceman in the expansion-era NHL to score four goals in his first five playoff games—a feat that took Bobby Orr 17 games.
Sure, it’s premature to order the mould for a Krug statue, but the kid has certainly earned a chance to stick in the Bruins lineup. His quick, shifty work with the puck—and a team-leading 25 percent shooting percentage—makes him essential to the Bruins’ blueprint for a Stanley Cup. In the second round, the Bruins were four-for-12 on the power play. Three of those goals belonged to Krug, who unleashed bullets from the point through the Bruins’ immovable traffic.
With the veterans returning from sick bay, something must give—just don’t expect it to be Torey Krug.
This story originally appeared in Sportsnet magazine. Subscribe here.