The Boston Bruins have had some bad injury luck, as the team announced today that Torey Krug will be out for the remainder of training camp with a non-displaced fracture after taking a puck to the jaw on Tuesday night. He’ll be re-evaluated in three weeks, which casts doubt over when his season will get started. The team also announced that Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Matt Beleskey are both dealing with day-to-day injuries.
Krug is obviously a huge part of the Bruins defense group this year, as captain Zdeno Chara starts to slow down and more responsibility is given to the younger players. While Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo are heading in the right direction, 26-year old Krug is likely the most important piece. Last season in 81 games Krug recorded 51 points and received votes for the Norris trophy as the league’s best defenseman.
The undersized talent is a deadly force on the powerplay and at even-strength, firing stretch passes and skating the puck out of trouble. After losing Colin Miller to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, replacing Krug for any length of time could be difficult.