New Blue Torey Krug endears himself to St. Louis in no time

Torey Krug isn’t wasting any time getting comfortable in St. Louis, and the town is already receiving dividends on the newest acquisition.

The double-edged sword of a sports business means that the pain of losing a fan favorite can coincide with the inbound excitement of a new player. Possibly, a fan favorite. Is that Krug in St. Louis? The signs are starting to stack up.

It was super fan Leah’s tweet that summed the instant impact of the new Blue on the city. Check out her tweet below:

Last month, we saw him gift a fan with a fresh Blues sweater with his number and name on the back. You saw him write a letter to a fan back in Boston who is battling cancer. The young Bruins fan was mad about Krug leaving town, so the defenseman offered a mea culpa.

This past week, Krug got his new teammates to join him on a toy run for children at a local hospital. Next month, he is singing the entire Journey Greatest Hits catalog in front of The Enterprise Center before the home opener. I kid, but admit that would be sweet action.

Look, I’ll admit something. When Krug ran over Robert Thomas back in June of 2019 when the Boston Bruins stole Brad Marchand’s dream, a part of your fierce Blues soul felt a tickle. You thought deep down to the pit of your honest yet decrepit soul and whispered, “damn, that was hot!” Yeah you did. It was the kind of hit where you wondered if those two players were on the same team. Now, that’s a reality.

Krug isn’t Alex Pietrangelo, and never will be. Their driver’s licenses don’t match up and they just play the game differently. The former has an extra level of aggression that comes from that massive chip on his shoulder that came from being passed over by several teams. The latter is the glory kid who was picked to hoist a Cup someday after less than a year in the league, a decade before he actually did win Lord Stanley.

But I like this new guy. He looks and plays the game ruthlessly. I’d like to see him sit on top of Jamie Benn this coming season. I’d like to see Krug act like an uncaged animal out there, dismantling other players while producing points. He’s a power play quarterback, which should pair well with just about anyone.

The Blues will get to see plenty of their old friend, #27, this coming season. Being in the Pacific “we start later 9 times a year” Division places St. Louis close to Las Vegas in alignment and scheduling. In fact, the final two games of the Blues’ 2020-21 season take place on Pietrangelo’s new turf in early May. Talk about a righteous showdown.

What I know today is that another great person signed here. No matter how long they stay, just about every guy who plays for the Blues does charity work before they unpack their bags. It’s a common thread. While the team doesn’t always win the big game, they constantly do the right thing in the neighborhood.

The best case scenario for most fans was a certain right-handed defenseman returning to the team this year. What they got instead was a shorter missile that doesn’t mind blowing up young, shiny toys on the ice.

The Blues got a mad man in Torey Krug, but another fine soul away from the game.

Well done, Doug Armstrong. You react faster than Ethan Hunt to sudden danger.