Bruins' Krug proving how he's adapted in 200 games

NEW YORK -- Torey Krug had to change his ill-advised tough guy mindset in order to become the all-around defenseman he is now for the Boston Bruins.

The 24-year-old played in his 200th game on Monday. He is second among Bruins defenseman behind Zdeno Chara in points (20) and ice time per (21:27 per game).

"When I first came in to the League, I wanted to prove that physically I could go into the corner and battle with those bigger guys," said Krug, Boston's smallest defenseman at 5-foot-9 and 186 pounds. "Over time my stubbornness had to go away so I could be more efficient."

Krug said it was tough for him to adjust because of the pressure he felt to prove himself, particularly because he came into the League during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the reputation for being only an offensive player, one he cemented with four goals in a five-game series against the New York Rangers.

He said he was worried at the time that he would be pigeon-holed into being just an offensive guy and it would limit his minutes, especially late in games. So he wanted to battle, prove he could go muscle on muscle with bigger players, show he wasn't going to back down.

However, Krug said he learned through countless conversations with coach Claude Julien and assistant coach Doug Houda that he'd be more valuable to the Bruins if he outsmarted the bigger players, especially because his size was always going to prevent him from outmuscling them.

He listened. He's getting better.

"He's really learned how to handle size much better than he did when he first came in," Julien said. "It's not always about trying to prove that you're as strong and can handle the big, strong guys, it's about being smarter than the other guy. I think he's done a good job of that."

Now, instead of going in to the corner looking to hit and be hit, Krug skates in hard, at a proper angle, and gets in and out of the area quickly, typically with the puck. He said he's skating more instead of gliding in thinking he'll be able to knock the player off the puck.

"Trying to watch Duncan Keith play defense has helped me a lot," Krug said of the two-time Norris Trophy winner from the Chicago Blackhawks.

"Lately I've been coming up with more pucks in the corners in those battles."

Doing that well enables Krug to do what he does best: start the rush from the back end with his speed and skill.

"I've come a long ways," Krug said. "When I first came into the League, I seemed like a different player, just a guy that was used for offensive purposes, power play, and not getting too many chances defensively. Now it's a different role and I've loved the role."

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