Zdeno Chara will be a Boston Bruin again next season, which we all pretty much expected. The terms under which he’d return, that always was going to be the question.
The Bruins on Wednesday made it official by inking Chara to a one-year contract extension that will pay him a base salary of $5 million for the 2018-19 season. Performance-based incentives could earn the B’s captain an additional $1.75 million — not a bad chunk of change for a 41-year-old veteran entering his 21st season.
The move makes sense for everyone involved. For Chara, it’s an opportunity to stay in a place where he’s obviously comfortable and add to the more than $80 million he’s made with the Bruins since signing with the Black and Gold in 2006. If he stays healthy and performs well on the ice, his incentives kick in and it’s an even more lucrative deal.
From the Bruins’ point of view, it makes all the sense in the world. Despite a recent injury, Chara has proved himself to still be a top-four defenseman on a very good team. He’s maniacal when it comes to getting himself ready and keeping himself in shape, so any worries about his play dropping off should be minimal despite his age. And it’s not like there’s any sort of long-term commitment. Even if Chara is hurt or sucks next season, the B’s can walk away when the year ends. If Chara plays well enough to reach those incentives, the Bruins gladly will take it.
Hammering down the financial aspect even more, it’s expected the NHL salary cap will increase prior to next season. Conservative estimates indicate a potential $3 million bump to $78 million, but the NHL also said it’s possible the cap jumps as much as $7 million next season. If that’s the case, Chara looks like a relative bargain.
Furthermore, Chara under contract for $5 million won’t keep the Bruins from extending any of their young core. The majority of the Bruins’ pending unrestricted free agents are trade deadline rentals, like Rick Nash, Tommy Wingels and Nick Holden. Matt Grzelcyk and Sean Kuraly are restricted free agents, and backup goalie Anton Khudobin is a UFA, but other than that, the Bruins are in pretty good shape. Again, with a manageable cap number under an expanding salary cap, signing Chara doesn’t get in the way of anything.
Just as important is the fact Chara remains one of the best leaders in sports. That’s going to be even more crucial as he helps shepherd a young core that already has legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations in a window that looks like it’s beginning to open.
Even if Chara’s window is starting to close, it isn’t completely shutting for at least one more season.
