Report: Zdeno Chara ‘looking at all options’ in free agency

This offseason has already seen the Bruins part ways with one stalwart on their blue line in Torey Krug. But come January, could we be staring at a scenario in which Boston’s longtime captain is also donning the sweater of another team? 

For as much as the logical conclusion to Chara's current status as an unrestricted free agent is to either re-sign with Boston for a 15th season or opt to hang up his skates, there remains a chance that the future Hall of Famer could take his talents elsewhere — especially if Boston opts to move on for the 2021 season.

During Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment on TSN, Pierre LeBrun offered his input on Chara's current status after speaking with the veteran defenseman's agent Matt Keator.

"I asked his agent, Matt Keator, on Thursday for an update and specifically asked, ‘Hey, I’m hearing that it may not necessarily be Boston as a slam dunk if he decides to play another season,'" LeBrun said. "And Keator’s answer was ‘looking at all options.’ Now, I have to say that the Bruins are probably the frontrunner,  but other teams keep calling. The key thing that Keator says is that Zdeno Chara is in no hurry.

"He wants to take his time. And one thing he mentioned is the format for next season is of particular interest to Chara. He’s got a young family, there’s a lot of factors to consider — whether he’s jumping back in for another season, depending on how next year looks like. Bottom line is — right now, Big Zee is in a holding pattern."

Granted, this offseason hasn't exactly gone to plan for the Bruins, but a possible scenario in which Chara continues his career anywhere else but Boston is quite startling. Back in September, Chara reiterated his desire to continue playing in Boston — even if his return would likely necessitate the 43-year-old skater taking on a lesser role on this D corps.

“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.”

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When it came to putting together Boston's to-do list for the 2020 offseason, re-signing Chara was a bit further down the list — with the general expectation that Boston would likely circle back and hash out a one-year deal with their captain after settling all other business first (a similar routine to what the Sharks and Joe Thornton have gone through over the last couple of seasons).

But with a lot of free-agent targets now off the board, especially among left-shot D, it remains to be seen what exactly the hold-up is when it comes to signing Chara to a short-term deal. Last weekend, Don Sweeney noted that conversations between player and organization are ongoing, although kept the details very, very vague.

“There’s communication between the two sides and again I’ve had a great deal of communication with Zdeno and his representative Matt Keator, to make sure there is no ambiguity in terms of that. And whatever Zee decides to do, ultimately, he’ll tell us. We’ll react accordingly to that. We have our own feelings as to where these things will go. We’ve certainly relayed them. We’ll continue to relay them. As I’ve mentioned before, he’s an iconic player, a personality and a leader, and things that we want to make sure that we’re dealing with this with the utmost respect as we try to treat all our players with. And communicate it as effectively as possible.

"Like I said, we take a lot of pride in that, making sure that there is really, no really unanswered questions in that regard or ambiguity. I would say that Kevan Miller falls into the same category of making sure that we understood where Kevan’s health was, where he felt he was going to be coming back to our lineup. And we’re excited that he’s healthy and he’s so motivated and looking to finish the job that he was watching from the sidelines. And all of our players, hopefully feel the exact same way. That ambiguity is not part of the equation."

Given that a new contract for Chara would only likely be for a year and cost Boston a small portion of their remaining cap room (around $11 million), it would seem to be a no-brainer for Boston to bring its captain back into the fold for 2021 — especially considering the B's current depth chart at left D is ... Matt Grzelcyk, John Moore, Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen.

Of course, this very well could just be a wait-and-see approach for Chara, who, as LeBrun said, could balk at the option of dealing with a 2021 season marred with potential bubble scenarios or other COVID-related disruptions. Chara has a number of options to mull over when it comes to preparing for the 2021 season and all of the curveballs it will bring — but based on the current makeup of Boston's blue line, it would seem like a foolish move if the B's willingly walked away from its captain. At this point, Boston needs as much help as it can get on defense.