On Sunday Torey Krug went to social media to point out past quotes by Kyrie Irving. Krug quote tweeted the now infamous Irving statement before this season with the Thinking Emoji and No Mouth Emoji.
“If you guys will have me back,” Irving said to Celtic season ticket holders , “I plan on re-signing here next summer.”
Now, on the surface, this was a simple reaction that many people had at the time. Krug was certainly not the only one to bring up this quote and wonder what had changed for Irving since October.
The more interesting part is reading into what Krug actually means by this. There are certainly reasons to believe that Krug was just having some fun on Twitter, as he did earlier this season at Brad Marchand’s expense. If that is all Krug is doing, then there is nothing more to look into.
However, the timing is a bit interesting for Krug’s tweet. He has a year left on his deal with the Bruins and has made it known that he wants to stay in Boston.
“I would personally love to get something done quickly,” Krug told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe in June. “This is an important place in my heart, a place I’ve wanted to play my whole career. Ideally it would be something that gets done.”
Krug clearly wants to remain a Bruin and could be using this tweet to show he does intend to sign an extension if the Bruins will have him back. That could be a stretch from one social media post, but that is what makes Krug’s tweet so noteworthy. The post is vague enough for fans to apply many theories to its meaning.
Now this tweet obviously does not guarantee he is going to sign a team friendly extension either. Krug could also be subtly saying he would not treat the Boston fans like Irving if he were to leave in free agency.
Krug went on to tell Porter that the Bruins will do whatever is the best option for the organization, and that is the business they are in. With the NHL being a hard cap lead, Boston will need to make tough decisions. Krug understands the business side of the profession.
Having said that, Krug is being honest about what could happen going forward. He wants to stay and win in Boston. However, he does understand that he might be gone in a year.
Torey Krug seems to get where the fans are coming from with the frustration with Irving. If Krug leaves in free agency, he will definitely be on better terms with the organization and fans than Irving.
Obviously this one innocuous post could just be Krug poking fun at Irving’s comments and nothing more. However, it is fair to wonder if there is more meaning behind Krug’s tweet.
Photo Courtesy of the Boston Globe
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