It didn’t take very long for the narratives to start on Monday night.
Just minutes after the Bruins’ season came to a disappointing end in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NBC broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick offered an extended soliloquy on Zdeno Chara's Hall-of-Fame career, waxing poetic about the veteran defenseman's impact on this Bruins club for the past 14 years and hinting at an uncertain future entering the fall.
Chara, now 43 years old and with a contract set to expire in a few weeks, didn't necessarily quiet the whispers of his potential retirement immediately following Boston's double-overtime loss to the Lightning — with the B's captain noting that he was going to be "open-minded" as far as what awaits him in 2021 and beyond.
But speaking on Thursday morning, Chara was far less cryptic when it comes to his plans for the upcoming season.
"I feel strong physically and I’m positive and I believe I can still play this game and contribute to the team and I want to stay in Boston," Chara said. "I want to be a Boston Bruin. I want to continue to lead by example and share my experiences and my game skills with the younger players and my teammates. That hasn’t changed. I’m committed and we’ll see what’s going to happen next."
Chara — who noted that he's already asked his agent, Matt Keator, to speak with Bruins management about the upcoming offseason — is currently in uncharted waters when it comes to his contract situation. While his seven-year, $45.5 million contract extension expired back in the summer of 2018, Chara and the Bruins hashed out a pair of one-year contracts in both March 2018 and 2019 to extend his tenure in Boston.
But this season, no short-term contract was struck before, during or after the COVID-19 pause back in March — with the imposing defenseman set to technically hit free agency once the calendar turns to October.
Still, Chara expects to work something out with the franchise that he has anchored for over a decade, adding that both he and his family would not want to uproot themselves and move elsewhere if another team came calling.
"I am confident," Chara said of working out a deal with Boston. "At the same time, you’ve been in the business and around hockey for so long that you know that there are different circumstances and possibilities. But as of right now, I’m excited. I want to be a Boston Bruin. I want to play for the Boston Bruins. Again, we will see what the decisions are going to be made and that’s something up to my agent and like I said, the senior upper management to kind of go over it."
Yes, after getting bounced by a faster, tougher and more skilled Lightning team for the second time and three seasons, the Bruins are going to have to take a long look at their roster and evaluate how best to make the most of this core's dwindling championship window.
But if Chara is ready for another crack at a Cup, it should be a no-brainer for Don Sweeney and Co. ... with some conditions, of course.
Yes, let's address the elephant in the room here.
No, Chara — who will turn 44 next March — is no longer the perennial Norris Trophy candidate he was of yesteryear, of course. At this point, he really shouldn't even be deployed as a top-pairing option tasked with routinely logging 21+ minutes and tasked with smother the opposing team's top line.
But in no way, especially at a low-risk, $1-2 million contract, is Chara not still a valuable cog on this roster — especially if Boston opts to deploy him in a different role and hand the keys to the defense to younger, more dynamic skaters.
The optics weren't that great for Chara — and granted, a lot of the Bruins — during their month-long tenure up in the Toronto bubble. After struggling against a frantic Carolina forecheck in the opening round, Chara was often tasked with slowing down Tampa's buzzsaw of a top line in Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat — with Boston only holding a 42.25% shot share during Chara's 5v5 ice time, although only 14.55% of his faceoffs came in the offensive zone during that stretch.
Still, even though Tampa was generating a majority of shot attempts during that stretch, that high-powered top-six group for the Bolts only managed to tally two 5v5 goals during Chara's 79 minutes of 5v5 ice time.
But let's be clear here — if Chara returns, Boston need to seriously augment how to best utilize its longtime captain on the ice. He may not be handle the heavy workload he previously carried out without issue, but if Chara can be slotted into a third-pairing role and still tasked with anchoring the PK and handed extra reps when protecting a lead or logging a shutdown shift or two in crunch time, the Hall of Famer should be well worth the $1-2 million he'll earn off his new contract.
Granted, we didn't really get to see Chara thrust into such a role during the playoffs, given that Boston ... well, spent most of the Tampa series chasing the score and trailing against the Bolts. But even as his skills have eroded over time, Chara is still a more than capable shutdown option, especially if his minutes are managed effectively and his usage is conserved for crucial situations.
Among the 108 NHL defensemen that logged at least 1,000 minutes of even strength ice time this past season, Chara ranked second in terms of goals for share — with Boston outscoring the competition, 64-38, during his 1,198 minutes of ice time.
Despite having the least faceoffs in the O-zone (33.28%) of any of those 108 blueliners, Chara didn’t let those tough defensive assignments lead to goals on the board — ranking fourth in that pool in terms of goals against per 60 minutes at 1.9.
Fair to say, Chara is still a very, very effective presence when it comes to anchoring a defense in Boston's zone, especially if given easier reps next to a new partner like Connor Clifton or even Brandon Carlo in certain situations.
Despite having just 27.27% of their faceoffs come in the offensive zone during the postseason, Boston managed to tilt the ice in its favor when a pairing of Chara and Clifton were deployed — with the Bruins holding a 16-6 edge in scoring chances during that stretch. Chara-Carlo, while not dynamic, provided Bruce Cassidy with a shutdown option when needed, as opponents only tallied five goals in that duo's 234 of 5v5 ice time together.
Add in his efforts as the leader of a PK unit that still ranked third in the league during the regular season (84.3%) and bringing back Chara on a small cap hit should be an easy decision for Boston. Slotting down Chara could also have a positive domino effect for other members of Boston's blue line — allowing Charlie McAvoy to play a bit more freely alongside a much fleet-footed partner such as Matt Grzelcyk (Boston has held a 110-69 edge in high-danger scoring chances in that pair's 455 of 5v5 ice time together).
If Boston wants to orchestrate another run at Cup in 2021, it's a given that certain changes will need to be made. While the focus should be for Boston to add another weapon or two up front to put an end to the carousel of wingers next to David Krejci and Charlie Coyle, the left side of Boston's blue line could be in rough shape come the winter if both Torey Krug and Chara depart.
While the loss of Krug will be a tough hit in the room and in terms of his power-play prowess, it is an expected, albeit unfortunate casualty when it comes to crunching the numbers. Chara on a one-year deal doesn't offer nearly as much of a risk, and — even at his age — offers a better solution for a defensive specialist and bottom-pairing regular than the likes of John Moore or an unproven youngster like Urho Vaakanainen.
It remains to be seen just how much Chara truly has left in the tank — and yes, the days of him serving as the minutes-eating juggernaut of Boston's blue line have come and gone. But you're kidding yourself if you don't think the veteran, especially in a modified role, still can't contribute to a Bruins team looking at one last shot at the Cup.
"I think my emphasis and my focus is on the team," Chara said. "I just want to continue to play. Not because I just want to get the games in, I want to play because I believe I have a lot to offer. I have a lot to bring to the team. I believe, like I said, in my abilities and I continue to go after my dreams. My dreams are not reaching stats. My dream is to compete and be on the ice in crucial situations and defend. When it matters, making strong defensive plays.
"For me, it’s always being out there, being on the ice, doing my thing and in the offseason, being ready and being in the best possible shape. Helping my teammates, being a good leader and doing whatever I can to help the team win. Yeah, that’s to me, that’s more driven and I’m more dedicated to that than just going out there and just basically being ok — (just) putting the uniform on and just going through the motions and not being engaged."
Stats via Natural Stat Trick.
