Video: Torey Krug In Tears, Says His Career Could Be In Jeopardy

St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug may miss more than just the coming season. After learning that he would be out for 2024-25 due to ankle surgery, the 33-year-old defenseman met the media for the first time, and said that his career could very well be in jeopardy.

He shed tears when asked if he'll want to stay around the team this season.

Torey Krug was moved to tears discussing what he’ll miss while he’s out this season. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/0XmL2VgpF2
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 4, 2024

"Sorry..." said Krug, as he paused for nearly 30 seconds, unsuccessfully trying to fight back the tears.

“I think that’s [a big part of it], the people that are around you. 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 originally suffered a broken ankle in the 2018 playoffs while with the Boston Bruins. He's suffered from arthritis in the ankle ever since that initial surgery. He played through the pain this past season, but his summer training revealed problems that he could no longer overcome.

He'll have subtalar fusion surgery in a couple of weeks, in which screws are inserted into the ankle to fuse the bones together.

Sports Medicine Dr. Rick Lehman told Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that this type of surgery restricts lateral movement within the foot and ankle, making it very difficult for a hockey player to compete.

He even called the surgery a “Hail Mary” and set the odds of Krug returning to play at about 30%.

"Could he come back? Yes," said Lehman, "But I think there’s a real possibility that this is career-ending. That’s a tough surgery to come back from.”

During a tremendous 13-year career, Krug, in 778 career regular-season games, has 483 points while averaging 20:19 of ice time per game.