Krug On Playing Forward: I Have A Newfound Respect For Those Guys
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tuesday night in Minnesota, Torey Krug added a new title to his Boston Bruins' resume.
In just his first full season with the Bruins, Krug is second among defensemen with 14 goals (second only to Zdeno Chara's 17). He's offensively gifted, and some have even joked that he could play forward.
On Tuesday against the Wild, with David Krejci getting a night's rest, Krug found himself doing just that. He lined up at forward for the first time in a long time, playing left wing on Boston's fourth line alongside Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell.
This must have been something that was discussed for quite some time, and likely included some practice time for Krug at a position he hadn't played since his Bantam majors (under 14 years old or under) days, right?
Not so said the Boston forward/defenseman.
"In the morning skate we had talked, and Claude asked if I had ever played forward," Krug told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Wednesday. "It was literally just a brief conversation; they asked me a couple questions so I'd understand what my role would be.
"Everyone knows our system, but there were a couple adjustments I had to make throughout the game," he said. "It was completely different, I don't know how else to explain it. Playing defense to forward, it was a whole different world... I have a newfound respect for those guys."
Krug saw just under 14 minutes of ice time in Tuesday night's 4-3 shootout loss, most of them at forward, but doesn't know if he'll reprise his role at forward in the final three games of the season. He said he had fun and enjoyed it for the first period, but he was happy to be back at defense for the third period.
"It was fun, it was a good experience and we'll see if it happens again." he said. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm excited to get back to my normal position of defense."
"I don't really know what to think about it. I haven't reflected too much," said Krug. "Our team is so deep that no matter who is thrown into whatever position we expect to win."
He may have shown off his versatility on Tuesday, but there is one spot on the ice Krug knows he'll never see.
"I don't think I will ever play goalie," he joked.
Torey Krug Talks About Playing Forward For Bruins
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