Over the past year, the future of Torey Krug has been a constant debate. The Bruins defenseman will be a free agent next offseason and is expected to receive a significant raise.

Although Krug is one of the Bruin’s most important players, his extension will be tricky. The Bruins do not have a lot of cap room and will have other key players looking for new deals. So far this season, however, Krug is off to an impressive start with free agency on the horizon.

Over the years, Krug has become one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL. He has averaged 40-plus assists a season and tied a career-high with 14 goals in 2017-2018. The Michigan native has also been deadly on the powerplay, where he had a career-best 30 points last season.

After a superb 2018-2019 campaign, Krug has carried that success into this season. Through six games, the Michigan State product has one goal and five assists. The powerplay has continued to be his strength as five of his six points have come on the man advantage. The twenty-eight-year-old also has the fourth-most points on the team and the most of any Bruins defenseman.

What a snipe now four unanswered goals for the #NHLBruins https://t.co/3T7pdnDwGb — Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin1217) October 9, 2019

While Krug’s offense comes as no surprise, he has also played well in his own end. That was most notably on display last week against Las Vegas. After the Bruins took control of the game, the Knights tried to regain momentum on a two-on-one. Krug was able to block the passing lane preventing a possible goal.

Additionally, so far this season, Krug already has eight blocked shots. The veteran defenseman also has one takeaway and 12 shots on net. Krug has continued to come through in the clutch as his only goal so far was a game-winner.

Although the Bruins season has just begun, Krug’s future will be a storyline to watch for the remainder of the year. While his defense could use improvement, his contributions on offense would be hard to replace. His presence on the powerplay is key, as the Bruins have been one of the games best in that area over the past few years.

Even with an uncertain future, Krug has gotten off to a hot start In 2019. As the Bruins bottom lines have struggled to generate scoring, Krug and the top line have carried this team. That has come as no surprise and will be important until the Bruins bottom lines finds their rhythm.

As the regular season continues, Krug’s value will only increase. That may make life harder for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney in the offseason, but it is not a bad problem to have. Sweeney has shown creativity, when extending key players and Krug will be no different.