ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Blues announced Tuesday that defenseman Torey Krug will undergo surgery to address pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle and miss the entire 2024-2025 season.
The Blues says the decision was reached following an effort to rehabilitate the injury through non-surgical interventions.
Krug's availability has been in doubt from the start of the offseason when the Blues originally announced that he had been diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle.
The Blues say the injury was a cumulative result of a bone fracture suffered earlier in his playing career.
Krug is heading into year five of a seven-year deal worth $45.5 million he signed back in 2020. Over the first four years, Krug has posted 146 points (22 goals, 124 assists) and 154 penalty minutes in 255 regular-season games he appeared for the Blues.
Krug's tenure with the Blues has been the subject of trade speculation over the last few years, with Krug most notably using his no-trade clause to reject a move to the Philadelphia Flyers last year.
With Krug set to require season-ending surgery, Krug can be placed on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and the Blues can exceed the salary cap by the amount of Krug's cap hit, which is set at $6.5 million.
Krug will be a missed presence on the Blues defense, especially on the left side, but the club has been pretty busy adding players this offseason to address his absense.
Longtime NHL defenseman Ryan Suter joined the Blues on a incentive-laden one-year deal, while the Blues were able to snatch defenseman Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers. Both Broberg and Suter will be a part of a left side of the Blues defense that already has Nick Leddy, Scott Perunovich, and Theo Lindstein on the left side.