The Golden Knights are among the teams interested in Torey Krug, which could be a nightmare for the LA Kings.
The Boston Bruins are expected to trade impending free agent Torey Krug’s rights to a team shortly and the Golden Knights are among the teams interested in the defenseman. It’s no secret the in the short amount of time that Las Vegas has been in the league, they have developed a rivalry with the LA Kings.
Look for the Bruins to trade Torey Krug's rights tomorrow to a team looking for exclusive negotiations before UFA opens on 10/9. Colorado, Florida, Vegas, and Detroit are among the suitors.
— Rear Admiral (@RearAdBsBlog) September 27, 2020
Ever since Erik Haula’s hit Anze Kopitar with the butt-end of his stick in a game near the end of the 2018 season, there has been a strong disdain towards the Las Vegas organization. I have to give credit where credit due though. The Golden Knights have become a formidable team in such a short amount of time. Shea Theodore is arguably the league’s best young defenseman and adding Krug on the team’s top pairing would be a nightmare to play against.
Krug has been an offensive force at the blue line. The 30-year-old scored 9 goals with 40 assists for 49 points in 61 games this past year. He has elite puck possession, as noted by his 55.6 Corsi-for percentage during the 2019-2020 campaign.
Theodore, 25, tallied 13 goals with 33 assists for 46 points and a +12 rating in 71 games last year. He was a monster in the postseason, scoring 7 goals – including 4 on the man advantage – with 12 assists in 20 games before Vegas was ousted by the Stars.
Of course, Vegas is among the bottom five teams in terms of available salary cap space. The Golden Knights have approximately $4.9M freed up, so they’d likely have to make a corresponding move if they acquire and sign Krug to an extension. Still, Vegas is in a prime position to compete for a Stanley Cup right now, and winning one now before Krug’s latter years of his contract would make the AAV easier to stomach.
If you’re a Kings fan, you have to hope one of the other teams listed steps in to acquire him first. Las Vegas also remains interested in Alex Pietrangelo as well, and it feels like they will land one of the two.