Torey Krug: Definitely one of the hardest things I've been through

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It was an emotional moment for Torey Krug that the defenseman couldn't help but get immersed in.

The thought of missing an entire season, of perhaps possibly never playing the game he loves so much again, of having to regulate himself as a bystander -- albeit in some form of supportive manner, perhaps even as a coach -- while his teammates go about their daily business of preparing for the 2024-25 season.

Meanwhile, Krug has to mentally -- and physically -- prepare himself to have screws inserted into his left ankle.

"It's a big part of the people that are around you," Krug said, fighting back tears. "The Blues have been amazing, my teammates have been great. I'll be around for sure. That's what I've known and loved for so long."

Not a pleasant time for the 33-year-old St. Louis Blues defenseman, but something that inevitably had to get done.

Krug spoke on Wednesday for the first time since the Blues announced Tuesday that the defenseman will miss the 2024-25 season due to a pre-arthritic condition in his left ankle that will require surgery.

Krug said the injury occurred during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a member of the Boston Bruins while playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning and through years of dealing with good days and bad days that finally got to the point, after 6-8 weeks of rehabilitation this past summer, of needing to get a bone fusion done.

"I fractured my ankle six years ago now in the playoffs when I was with Boston. Over the last few years, it's starting to get worse and worse," Krug said. "I've been able to manage it for so long now. Last year was definitely tough trying to manage the pain level. This summer, I wasn't really able to do the things I needed to do to prepare for the NHL season, a lot of pain and stuff. Doug [Armstrong's] been great, Ray Barile's been great for me. I've spent a lot of time on the phone with those guys. Obviously tried to work through it and find a way to train so that I could prepare for the season. We're here now because I couldn't and I'm going to have to go in there and get it fixed. Long process for sure, drawn out, very stressful summer. Definitely one of the hardest things I've been through. Here we are today."

Krug was able to move forward and play the following season, 64 regular-season games and the playoffs when the Bruins lost against the Blues in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final. He played another season, his seventh and final full season with the Bruins, in 2019-20 before signing as a free agent with the Blues, inking a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) on Oct. 9, 2020.

Krug hasn't played a full season yet with the Blues in any of his four years here, but last season's 77 games were the most played since he arrived.

After the team announced July 16 Krug's condition and that he would take 6-8 weeks of rehab to see if non-surgical procedures would be sufficient, it was determined that rehab just wouldn't be enough.

"Yes and no. You always try to hold out hope that you get healthy," Krug said. "Obviously at some point you do have to commit to fixing it. I have a date now for the surgery. Before I was just kind of holding out hope and trying to be as honest as possible with the Blues. Obviously they had to do what they had to do signing guys and filling a spot on the d-corps. Just trying to be up front with everybody, but I was always holding out hope to try and play.

"Trying different things, for awhile, riding the bike was something I could get away with and keep my conditioning level up. I wasn't able to do much dynamic stuff in the gym. Just tried to skate more, obviously give it some time to rest and maybe be off it for awhile would help, and it did for sure but almost immediately when you try and come back in the gym and put the skates on, it was one of those things where I realized it wasn't going to work. We had to make plans otherwise."

Now those plans include figuring out whether he can prolong a career that's spanned 11 full seasons and parts of 13 and being able to raise a family that includes three children post-hockey.

"We don't really know that, to be honest," Krug said. "It's just something I've got to take care of and kind of take it day by day, week by week, month by month and kind of go from there. Obviously being out for the year, you can understand it's a pretty big surgery that I have to get. Looking forward, I can't forecast too much. Just got to stay in the moment.

"I'm going to feel better as a person. I'm going to be able to carry my kids up and down the stairs, which I'm able to do on some days but waking up, it's tough."

Krug will have the surgery in "a couple weeks."

"It's something I was going to have to do regardless at some point in my life," Krug said. "Getting it taken care of as a 33-year-old professional athlete is a little bit different than ... I thought I would have to do it when I was 50 down the road and retired. I always knew it was one of those things that would have to be done. It's just disappointing and sad that it has to be now."

In the meantime, the Blues have supplied their roster with reinforcements to fill the void Krug, who had 39 points (four goals, 35 assists) last season, leave behind. Ryan Suter (one year, $750,000 plus $2.25 million in bonus incentives) and Philip Broberg (two years, $4.58 million AAV) come to mind as likely replacements and potential partners for Justin Faulk and/or Colton Parayko should the Blues move things around.

"Obviously they had to do what they had to do signing guys and filling a spot on the d-corps," Krug said of the Blues. "Just trying to be up front with everybody, but I was always holding out hope to try and play."