Updated: Bruins sign Zdeno Chara to one-year contract extension

The Boston Bruins have signed Zdeno Chara to a one-year contract extension through the 2018-19 season worth $5 million, including an additional $1.75 million in performance-based incentives, the team announced Wednesday morning.

Chara, 41, is playing his 20th NHL season and 12th with the Bruins. Currently sidelined with an upper-body injury, the captain has played 68 games this season, registering seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points, including a plus-26 rating. He's averaging a team-high 23 minutes of ice time per game.

BSJ analysis 

First, here's a piece I wrote during training camp that explained how a then-40-year-old with a 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame would extend his career. Chara has always said that he plans to play for the Bruins as long as possible. What he's accomplished this season is pretty amazing given his vitals. He's still one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL and is showing hardly any signs of slowing down.

This one-year deal is fine. Chara is an extremely important part of the team both on and off the ice. The Bruins have been trying to find a way to manage his minutes per game for the last few seasons to no avail. This season, however, coach Bruce Cassidy's decision to partner Chara with rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy has paid dividends. Even though Chara is still playing 23 minutes per game, McAvoy has the ability to retrieve pucks all over the ice, which allows the captain to manage how much hard skating he's doing each shift. McAvoy's presence has saved a lot of minutes on Chara's legs.

Entering a contract year, it was evident from Day 1 that Chara was motivated. After the first-round loss to the Ottawa Senators last April, Chara was only off the ice for a week before he started skating again to prepare for 2017-18. Instead of his typical offseason strength workout, he focused more on his skating. The strides (no pun intended) he's made this season is one reason for this extension.

Chara deserved this contract. If there's one player in the league who will earn every single incentive in the new contract, it's him. Some of those incentives include games played and postseason accomplishments.

When former Bruins interim GM Jeff Gorton signed Chara on July 1, 2006, he had it written into his contract that he would wear the 'C' on his sweater. This didn't go over well with many fans. How could someone that never played a single game for the Bruins be named captain? It was a questionable decision at the time, but Chara wasn't signing on the dotted line without it. To his credit, he's become one of the best captains in franchise history and there's a strong possibility he could lead the team back to hockey's promised land again this June.

Many older pro athletes tend to change their demeanor as their respective careers begin to wind down and they open up a bit more. Chara is no different. He's become more jovial this season than he's ever been before. He's opened up his life to fans on social media. However, knowing what's at stake this season, the captain recently returned to his stoic ways, which is a good sign because that means he's focused and ready for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

He's missed the last seven games due to an upper-body injury, but there's a possibility he could return to the lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden. With an extension in hand, and the postseason looming, prepare to watch a more motivated Zdeno Chara.