Center Marcus Kruger was never the most exciting, most noticeable or most appreciated player on the Blackhawks, but he was one of coach Joel Quenneville’s most trusted players.
It was Kruger who was almost always the first over the boards for a big penalty kill. It was Kruger who almost always started his shifts in the defensive zone, his back to the goalie. And it was Kruger who was on the ice during the final minute of the Stanley Cup-clinching games in 2013 and 2015, trusted to close out two championships.
Kruger scored only 33 goals in six-plus seasons with the Hawks, but he was a critically important piece — the kind of depth player who helps make a good team great. But he’s still a fourth-line center, and the Hawks are in no position to keep paying a fourth-line center $3.08 million a season.
So after paying Kruger a $2 million bonus Saturday, the Hawks traded him to the expansion Golden Knights for future considerations Sunday, the second day of free agency. It was a pure salary dump.
The deal will help get the Hawks below the $75 million salary cap, though there is still work to be done with Patrick Sharp, Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma added to the roster.
‘‘We thank Marcus for his many contributions to our team, most notably two Stanley Cup championships,’’ Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said. ‘‘His work ethic, reliability and strength as a two-way player made him a valuable member of the organization. We wish him the best with Vegas.’’
Kruger was a fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft and made his NHL debut late in the 2010-11 season. He played 71 games and scored a career-high nine goals as a rookie in 2011-12 before finding his niche as a defensive forward and penalty-killer extraordinaire during the Hawks’ lockout-shortened run to the 2013 Stanley Cup.
He missed only three games between 2012 and 2015 despite taking frequent punishment along the boards and in the corners, and he scored a triple-overtime goal in Game 2 of the 2015 Western Conference final.
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Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
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