Zdeno Chara has indicated he wants to return to the ice for his 23rd NHL season. Now it’s just a matter of getting a contract.
Chara has spent the last 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins and is an unrestricted free agent. Of course, at 43 years old, he’s not what he once was. But he certainly can provide a nice boost to the blueline.
Couple that with the respect he’s earned from the Bruins for his leadership on and off the ice, it’s fair to wonder if Boston will bring him back on another short-term deal.
General manager Don Sweeney held his end of the year media availability and was asked about Chara’s status.
“I’ve met with Zdeno. Had conversations, have continued to have conversations so that we have to be on the same as we move forward,” he told reporters over Zoom on Monday. “We’ve conveyed where we are with that and we’re going to continue to have communication with he and (Chara’s agent) Matt Keator.”
Sweeney also said there would no stone left unturned.
“Yeah, we’ve just had really broad-based discussions on everything,” he said. “Not really going to leave any stone unturned in terms of where we are. We’ve looked at that as part of our roster assessment and making sure we communicate effectively with a very important part and leader of our hockey club.”
The Bruins have a busy offseason in front of them, and it will be interesting to see where Chara fits into their plans.
