Boston Bruins sign Torey Krug and Reilly Smith to one-year contracts

On Monday Sept. 29, the Boston Bruins signed defenseman Torey Krug and forward Reilly Smith to one-year contracts through the 2014-15 season where each player will make $1.4 million as their annual cap. These two players were standouts in the 2013-14 season, but I think the question on everyone’s mind is will they continue with their outstanding play or will they end up like Tyler Seguin and not impress when it matters the most?

Krug has become one of the most reliable players as a defenseman. There were many injuries and upsets last season between Shawn Thornton being suspended for 15 games after attacking Pittsburgh Penguins’ Brooks Orpik in December and Adam McQuaid not playing after January due to a quad injury. The loss of these two key players was hard for the Bruins, but Krug stepped up.

Krug played in 79 regular season games scoring 14 goals setting a new record to become the fifth rookie blueliner in team history to score 10+ goals. He also played in 15 playoff games, scoring six goals and 10 assists. Krug also had 26 assists in the 2013-14 season ranking first among the Bruins defensemen while tied for first with captain Zdeno Chara with 40 points.

Not only was Krug named to the 2013-14 All-Rookie team, but he finished fourth overall in the NHL rookie scoring race. He showed the NHL that he not only has the drive to play as a Boston Bruin, but the willpower to fight as one as well.

Reilly Smith played his first full season as a Bruin this past season where he established career highs in every category. He scored 20 goals, 31 assists, and finished the regular season with 51 points with a plus-28 rating.

Smith started with the Dallas Stars and was a part of the Seguin trade last year where the Bruins also acquired Loui Eriksson, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow. At first, I was skeptical of this trade. I thought they did not give Tyler Seguin a chance to prove himself. But after watching the 2013-14 season, trading Seguin for Smith was one of the best decisions they could have made. They not only gained a great player that puts numbers on the scoreboard, but they have a player they can trust to get the job done.

In the upcoming season, these two Bruins are players to watch. They are young, but I think they are going to stand out and perform to the best of their ability and impress the skeptical fans as they help lead the team to the Stanley Cup.