Zdeno Chara always has been a team-first guy, and he might have the chance to put that on full display yet again this offseason.
Even as he’s entered his 40s, the Boston Bruins captain remains a quality top-pairing defenseman. But instead of seeking a possibly more lucrative or a long-term deal elsewhere, Chara the last few seasons has been playing on team-friendly, one-year pacts.
That’s the product of a relationship between Chara, his agent Matt Keator and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. The open lines of communication have allowed Sweeney to get some ducks in a row, then have dialogue with Chara and Keator to find the best situation for all parties involved.
The trio likely will have to do that again when the offseason rolls around — whenever that may be. Chara is going to be an unrestricted free agent, and the recently-turned 43-year-old has indicated he would like to continue to play.
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And during a conference call with the media Friday, Sweeney indicated “the ongoing dialogue is very healthy with Zdeno.”
“Even Zdeno himself has reported that he would like to continue to play,” Sweeney responded when asked if the league’s pause could have any impact on Chara’s playing future. “The really unique relationship that we have as an organization with Zdeno — and this started a bunch of years ago, the last three, or four in particular – that he has exercised the ability to show patience, allow us to plan accordingly and then adjust in his own contractual situations.
“You saw him do two consecutive one-year deals, which was important for us in planning, and that’s again an extension of the relationship that he and Matt Keator have afforded us.”
For years now, we’ve seen Chara prove that he keeps in fantastic shape and can shoulder a heavy NHL workload, which has resulted in him averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time per game this season.
So, reading between the lines, it seems like a job with the Bruins always will be available for Chara as long as he wants it and can play at an NHL level.
But the Bruins have a lot of things to take care of this offseason. In addition to Chara, Torey Krug, Jaroslav Halak, Joakim Nordstrom and Kevan Miller also are restricted free agents. Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Anders Bjork and Karson Kuhlman are among the restricted free agents.
With the league on pause, there’s a chance the salary cap structure could be altered for, at the very least, next season — especially if the current campaign ultimately is cancelled. Because of that, Chara and the Bruins may have to be more flexible than ever in making sure a deal gets done.
That said though, it sounds like both sides could be plenty amenable to that.
