As Blues fans we hope the remaining defensemen on the roster can pick up any slack of any minutes Krug misses during the season. The signings of Ryan Suter and Pierre-Olivier Joseph certainly provide some veteran depth with the young returning players, Scott Perunovich, Matthew Kessel, and Tyler Tucker.
These four can be a good rotation until one or two show a strong performance…competition is good! Ultimately, the top three returning veteran defensemen simply need to step up and play at a higher level than they did in 2023-24. Suter should provide a push with his extensive resume.
Assuming no additional trades are in Doug Armstong’s hopper, Colton Parayko, and Nick Leddy will return as the top pair, and it’s critical they improve on last year’s poor play at 5-on-5. Without Krug, it would seem that Justin Faulk and Ryan Suter would make up the second pairing. With the strong goaltending of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer returning, a better defense in front of them will allow them to shine even brighter.
Torey Krug vs. Alex Pietrangelo
Krug vs. Alex Pietrangelo: Much has been discussed, argued, and lauded on the move by Armstrong not to sign Pietrangelo after the 2019-20 season and instead put the salary towards signing Krug. In the last four seasons, the two compare somewhat favorably with one gaping exception. Overall, in goals and assists Pietrangelo has out scored Krug 154 to 146 (258 games vs 255 respectively).
However, scoring is not the main skill we expect from our defensemen, protecting the net and keeping the scoring down is their main function. When we look at the plus-minus numbers over the past four seasons, Pietrangelo truly outshines Krug at plus-35 to minus-23...and the last two seasons have been Krug’s worst in his career (minus-57 combined). Then there is the intangible of leadership, and I think we can all agree that Pietrangelo…now a two-time Stanley Cup Champion…is a better leader than Krug.
What options do the Blues have for 2-24-25?
What are the options facing the Blues this season for Torey Krug with his health as a key issue? If surgery is necessary, it will be a lost season for Krug and the Blues can place him on long-term injured reserve.
This would allow Armstong to utilize his $6.5M cap hit to improve the team. Of course this is also a year of rebuilding, so the Blues just may pocket any extra dollars. There is still $7.3M in available cap space with no move seemingly in discussion.
If rest is what is required for Krug and he can play part of the year, then rotating him in with the third line might make sense. Then after the season a trade to one of the 15 teams allowed. We hope for his overall health that Krug recovers fully and can be a strong contributor to the Blues for the next two seasons.