Marcus Kruger wanted to stay with the Blackhawks. He didn’t get the long-term deal he was originally looking for but he did get a deal done before training camp’s start.
TSN's Bob McKenzie reported that Kruger's deal is worth $1.5 million for one year.
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General manager Stan Bowman said several times that the team was intent on re-signing Kruger. Salary-cap issues, however, were going to be an issue. Kruger’s agent JP Barry, via email earlier this summer, said that his client would be patient as the Blackhawks worked through their cap crunch. Some of that was resolved on Friday afternoon, when the Blackhawks traded Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom to the Carolina Hurricanes.
About an hour after that trade was complete, Kruger’s signing was announced.
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The 25-year-old Kruger won his second Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks this past season. He was once again a dependable penalty killer and fourth-line center, developing postseason chemistry with Andrew Shaw and Andrew Desjardins. Kruger had 17 points during the regular season; he had four points, including the game-winning goal in the Blackhawks’ triple-overtime Game 3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference final.