Blues sign Krug to 7-year deal with $6.5M AAV

The St. Louis Blues have inked defenseman Torey Krug to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million, the club announced Friday.

The former Boston Bruins blue-liner was the second-best unrestricted free-agent defenseman behind St. Louis captain Alex Pietrangelo.

The Bruins didn't make a recent offer to Krug and "indicated" they'd rescinded their previous pitch, which was a six-year pact carrying a $6.6-million AAV, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Krug had spent his entire nine-year career with the Bruins, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2012.

The 29-year-old collected nine goals and 49 points in 61 games with Boston this past season. He was on pace to hit the 50-point plateau for a fourth straight campaign prior to the league pause.

Krug has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in each of the past five seasons. He's a talented top-four rearguard who can quarterback the power play and play a shutdown role while contributing on the offensive end.