For St. Louis Blues defenceman Torey Krug, the future feels a bit uncertain.
Krug was emotional and contemplative while speaking to reporters on Wednesday following the announcement that he had chosen to undergo season-ending surgery on his ankle.
According to the team, the surgery is addressing pre-arthritic changes in his ankle after non-surgical options failed. Though the timeline for recovery isn’t set in stone, Krug seemed unsure about what might come next.
“We don’t really know that to be honest, it’s just something that I gotta take care of and kind of take it day by day, week by week, month by month and go from there,” Krug said.
“Looking forward I can’t forecast too much. Just gotta stay in the moment.”
It came as a tough decision for the defenceman, one that factored in his present and future in the NHL as well as the future he hopes to have with his family, in particular his two daughters.
Ultimately, he viewed it as the right choice to secure the best possible physical and mental state moving forward.
“I’m gonna feel better as a person,” Krug said. “I’m gonna be able to carry my kids up and down the stairs, which I’m able to do some days but you know, waking up, it’s tough.”
Krug was honest about what his future might be in the game when asked if other hockey players can come back after getting this sort of surgery, saying that “not many, if at all” are able to make a full recovery.
However, what matters to the 33-year-old is to “feel better as a person,” in reference to his desire to feel healthy for life outside of hockey.
More than being sad he won’t be able to play this season, Krug got emotional thinking about his teammates and how he won’t get to be around them in a similar capacity.
“I think that’s [a big part of it], the people that are around you,” the defenceman said through tears. “The Blues have been amazing, my teammates have been great. So I’ll be around for sure. That’s what I’ve known and loved for so long.”
Krug suffered the initial injury — an ankle fracture — six years ago while playing in the playoffs with the Boston Bruins. He said that he was playing through the pain last season, despite it getting worse as the year went on.
He added that in the summer, he was unable to partake in any regular practice or training to prepare for the season, and instead was attempting to rehab the injury in hopes of avoiding surgery.
“Obviously tried to work through it and find a way to train so that I could prepare for the season, and obviously we’re here now because I couldn’t,” Krug said.
According to Krug, playing hockey actually helped the injury, as being in a skate stabilized the ankle and supported it, similar to the way a walking boot might do. But once the pain started to grow even when on the ice, that’s when he knew something had to be done.
Krug joined St. Louis in October 2020 as a free agent on a seven-year deal worth $6.5 million per season.
During his four seasons with the Blues, Krug has recorded 146 points and 154 penalty minutes in 255 regular-season games. In 778 career regular-season games, Krug has 483 points.