Torey Krug
ON-ICE VALUE
Top-Four Defenseman
STRENGTHS
Passing: Krug’s vision and offensive instincts are superb. His passes are accurate and he has a knack for selling his shot threat only to find a teammate in a better position. On the power play, his quarterbacking skill set is magnified, as he crisply and efficiently moves the puck around to generate quality opportunities.
Skating: While Krug isn’t the fastest straight-line skater on the back end, he’s quick, fluid and elusive. He can evade forecheckers in order to kick-start the transition, he walks the offensive blue line well to find shooting lanes and he shows a nice change of pace through the neutral zone.
Fearless: Despite his modest frame, Krug doesn’t back down from any challenge. He’ll get chippy if you rattle his cage and he isn’t afraid to battle larger opponents in the trenches. He isn’t the stingiest defenseman around, but he won’t hesitate to bite back.
WEAKNESSES
Size: At the end of the day, he remains a 5’9”, 186-pound blueliner. For all his bite, he can occasionally get manhandled in the corners and in front of the net. Also, his lack of size prevents him from holding on to the puck and making more plays with defenders draped on his back.
Defense: This is where Krug falters. He’s more focused on initiating the breakout than stopping the opposition. As a result, he often loses his mark or wanders into no man’s land in hopes that a puck will spring loose and he can swing the action in the other direction.
