Zdeno Chara’s career will extend beyond this season and it will happen in Boston.
The Bruins on Wednesday announced a one-year contract extension for the captain that will pay him $5 million in base salary in 2018-19 with another $1.75 million in performance-based incentives.
It’s worth noting, too, the NHL salary cap — which currently sits at $75 million — is expected to increase to at least $78 million and could go as high as $82 million prior to the 2018-19 season.
The 2018-19 season will be the 21st season for the 41-year-old Chara, who has been with the Bruins since 2006. The 2009 Norris Trophy winner — as the NHL’s best defenseman — played a pivotal role in leading Boston to a Stanley Cup title in 2011. He also was a key contributor on the 2013 team that returned to the Stanley Cup Final.
Chara isn’t the same dominant player he was early in his Bruins career, but he’s still a valuable member of the team’s core, both on and off the ice. Chara is in the final year of a seven-year, $45 million contract he signed prior to the 2010-11 season.
