Sweeney On Torey Krug: ‘We Haven’t Found A Landing Spot’

There continues to be no progress on the contract front for the Boston Bruins and defenseman Torey Krug. In a Zoom call with the media Wednesday morning, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney said the two sides are yet to find common ground but will continue to try and do so in the coming weeks before unrestricted free agency begins on October 9. 

“Well we haven’t found a landing spot,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney once again praised Torey Krug as a player and a person but seemed to indicate that how things go in negotiations from this point would be determined by Krug. He also made it clear that he completely understands if Krug decides – as he indicated last week, he likely will – to test the market.

“Listen I respect Torey coming in as a rookie free agent and making our hockey club,” the Bruins GM said. “I only hope that we made the moves to accommodate what he and his family and agent feel he has earned. I would be the last person to begrudge any player trying to make the best decision for them and their family, and in a perfect world it’s with us, but we know that the world is anything but perfect right about now. So again, I don’t have an update on any individual contract level.”

Torey Krug, who has more than once publicly expressed his dismay at the lack of contact between the Bruins and his camp, did not sound optimistic about returning to the Bruins in a Zoom call with the media.

“The contact was very few and far between for whatever reason. It is what it is…I don’t really know what the future holds in terms of the coming weeks,” Krug said on September 3. I haven’t thought about any other team or any other situation to date. Likely as we approach free agency, I’ll probably have to do that. But I haven’t thought about anything. I’m very proud of what we’ve done here in Boston over the years, and being part of that core group, guys have come and gone, and I’ve managed to stay for eight years now. I’m very happy that I was part of it. So hopefully it continues and hopefully, I still am. I’ve done everything they’ve seemingly asked of me and I’m proud of that…There’s nothing personal about it. It’s business.”

Krug was also adamant that he would not be willing to take a one-year deal to prove his worth even more in what is an uncertain financial climate in the NHL thanks to the pandemic. When asked about Krug’s comments, Sweeney didn’t bite and give his own except to say that Torey Krug is entitled to say what he wants and he still respects the player and the person. 

“Torey’s personal voice, he’s entitled to say whatever the hell he feels he wants to say,” Sweeney said. “You guys know me well enough that I’m not going to comment publicly on any different contract negotiations other than hoping to find a landing spot when I have good players and people that I feel are important to our organization and Torey is such.”