The St. Louis Blues have announced this morning that veteran defenseman Torey Krug has “suffered a right-foot injury while training for the upcoming 2023-24 season,” and will be re-evaluated on October 1st.
Based on the Blues’ announcement, the timeline of this injury means that Krug will miss a chunk of time at the start of Blues training camp, stretching through the team’s first few preseason games. It’s certainly not an ideal situation for Krug.
However, it is at least somewhat encouraging that the team did not offer a longer timeline for Krug’s absence, leaving room for optimism that he could be in far better shape health-wise around the time of his re-evaluation.
Of course, with the limited amount of information the Blues provided, it’s also certainly possible that Krug’s injury is more severe than this announcement makes it initially seem.
The inclusion of just a re-evaluation date but no firmer timeline does, after all, also allow for the possibility of a more extended absence.
What this injury means for the Blues’ defense isn’t entirely clear until the full extent of Krug’s absence is revealed.
Assuming Krug is ready for opening night, he’ll likely resume the top-four role he’s played in Blues coach Craig Berube’s blueline throughout his time in St. Louis.
But if he’s out for a more extended period, that could mean that a player like Scott Perunovich steps into a larger role on St. Louis’ defense early in the year. It would be an interesting twist for Perunovich, 25, to gain a greater NHL opportunity due to an injury to a teammate after his own injuries laid waste to his development over the last few seasons.
He plays an up-tempo offensive game that’s reminiscent of Krug’s and would be the best option among the Blues’ depth defensemen to replicate his style of game. But until more information comes to light about Krug’s injury, whether Perunovich (or another Blues defenseman) will get a chance to play a bigger role is still ultimately a mystery.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
“will be reevaluated on October 1st”.
ie. we will release more information once we know where we are cap wise when the season starts.
The Blues will be consulting with the notorious Nikita Kucherov to get tips on how to word the *injury*. Then, he will be kept in near game-shape using an AI simulator. (more to come…)
I am shocked, SHOCKED, that a guy STL tried to trade but refused to go is suddenly a candidate for LTIR and the attendant salary cap space. This is my SHOCKED face.
@fightcitymayor – Have to hand it to you. That’s an excellent SHOCKED face! Mine usually starts out good, but degrades into “Intestinal turmoil face”. Still much work to be done on mine…
Makes you wonder if Krug suffered this injury in battle drills with Tonya Harding…