Ranking the best fits for hulking Free Agent defenseman Zdeno Chara
Future Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara would be a perfect fit for these teams.
Thanksgiving is upon us yet Zdeno Chara is still on the open market and still without a team over a month after Free Agency opened.
It is shocking that Chara is both still available and hasn’t re-signed with the Boston Bruins yet, but that is a clear sign of the times we currently live in with the COVID-19 Pandemic wreaking havoc on the NHL’s finances.
As a result, one of the best to have ever done it is still looking for a place to call home for the 2020-21 season, and a handful of teams would be wise to add the giant veteran to their backend.
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With 1,553 career regular season games under his belt, Chara would bring a wealth of experience to the table for any organization that signs him, while he’s been one of the best at killing penalties in the modern era.
He would instantly command respect and, while his play has regressed somewhat due to age, the 43-year-old still averaged 21:01 of ATOI during the 2019-20 regular season, while recording 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in 68 games with 101 blocked shots, 78 hits and 26 Takeaways.
Chara could be even more impactful in a lesser role on the bottom pair, while he would also be an outstanding mentor for a young defenseman currently cutting his teeth in the NHL.
While father time does eventually defeat all, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Zdeno Chara still has something left in the tank, and we’ve put together the three best potential fits for the giant defenseman.
Let’s delve right in…
1. Boston Bruins
We’ll start with the most logical option with a return to the place he has called home since the 2006-07 season and the place he has established his legend still a very realistic option for Zdeno Chara.
Chara is an icon in Boston and he’s been a staple of that Bruins defense for over a decade now, so it does seem rather strange to try and picture the veteran wearing the jersey of another team.
It makes perfect sense for Chara to re-sign with the Bruins given his age and the fact that he’s unlikely to want to uproot his family too much given where he is at in his career.
Plus, with Torey Krug having signed with the St. Louis Blues in Free Agency, the Bruins all of a sudden are lacking some leadership on the backend, in addition to having lost some manpower on the power play.
While Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo will step up and take on bigger roles, coupled with the fact that Jeremy Lauzon could be handed more responsibility, there is still room for Chara on that Boston blueline.
He could settle into a bottom-pairing role, mentoring someone in the ilk of Lauzon or Connor Clifton, or he could even form a gritty partnership with Kevan Miller, who is hoping to put his recent injury hell behind him after signing a one-year deal in Free Agency.
Boston know what they are getting with Chara and he could still be a big influence on the penalty kill, while also logging some time on the power play.
His size, experience, grit and leadership will still be vital to a team hoping to prise open their Stanley Cup window, while a new deal would give Chara the chance to retire as the Captain of the Boston Bruins.
With $6,657,686 in projected cap space according to CapFriendly, the Bruins do have the money to re-sign Chara to a new deal despite also having to re-sign current RFA forward Jake DeBrusk, but you are probably looking at something less than $2 million for Chara to return for another season in the Black & Gold.
Plus, reports have suggested that Zdeno Chara is waiting to see what the 2020-21 NHL season will look like before making a commitment, but it does seem likely that the future Hall of Famer will get the opportunity to finish what he started with the Boston Bruins.
2. New York Rangers
Now, this would not go down well in Boston if Zdeno Chara would to head to Broadway and sign a short-term deal with the New York Rangers, an Original Six rival.
However, and while probably unlikely for a number of reasons, it would make sense for both the Rangers and for Chara himself.
Firstly, and as we mentioned in the previous slide, Chara is at that stage of his career where he’s probably got one more year left in him, maybe two at most, so he’s unlikely going to want to uproot his family too far.
Well, luckily for Chara, New York isn’t that far from Boston and it would give his family the chance to take in the delights of The Big Apple for a year or two.
From a team fit perspective, I would love to see Chara in a Rangers uniform and not just because I’m a diehard and passionate Blueshirts fan.
No, he would tick a lot of boxes for a young, talent-laden team that still possesses a few fatal flaws that need addressing.
While they are flush in skill and speed with the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Kaapo Kakko and 2020 No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, the Rangers lack toughness with only gritty forward Brendan Lemieux a reliable customer in that department.
Chara would help to correct that given the fact that he recorded 101 blocked shots and dished out 78 hits during the 2019-20 regular season, while he’s still capable of dropping the gloves and sticking up for his team when the occasion calls for it.
His wealth of leadership and experience would be a perfect fit in that Rangers locker room too, and he would be the perfect mentor for the likes of Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek and K’Andre Miller.
Furthermore, Chara would be a key penalty killer for this team and I would much rather he mans a bottom pair on the backend than the likes of Brendan Smith or Jack Johnson, who I’m not convinced has a role to play for a New York Rangers roster clearly riding a rapid trajectory back towards the glory days in the NHL.
The only slight caveat is that the Rangers currently have $4,8829,367 in cap space but, according to CapFriendly, they are committed to $3,950,000 in Bonus Cushion Penalty, which doesn’t leave them with a lot of cap space to sign Chara to a deal.
But, if the man mountain of a defenseman is attracted by the chance to finish his career at Madison Square Garden and help to complete the final few steps of a swift and hugely successful rebuild, then maybe Zdeno Chara would be motivated to take less in order to be part of something special in The Big Apple.
3. Ottawa Senators
Before becoming a true icon for the Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara actually pulled on the uniform of the Ottawa Senators, recording 146 points (51 G, 95 A) in 299 career regular season games, before signing a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the B’s as an Unrestricted Free Agent on July. 2, 2006.
It was without doubt one that got away for the Senators but they now have the chance to rewrite history somewhat should they so wish.
Granted, Chara is no longer at the peak of his powers and is arguably a shadow of his former elite self, but he’s still got something left in the tank and could no doubt play a role for a young Senators team currently navigating their way through a rebuild.
Having seemingly turned a corner with a solid and productive offseason following a few chaotic years, the Senators are on the cusp of turning a big corner but it may take another year or two before they can be considered truly competitive.
They’ve certainly got talent with the likes of forwards Brady Tkachuk and Colin White and defensemen Thomas Chabot and Erik Brannstrom, while the offseason additions of goalie Matt Murray and productive scorer Evgeni Dadonov will make them a much tougher out in 2020-21.
However, you could put forward a strong case that Ottawa will need some more experience and some more leadership, and that’s where Chara comes in.
At 43-years-old and with 656 points (205 G, 451 A) in 1,553 career regular season games in the NHL, in addition to 70 points (18 G, 52 A) in 195 career postseason games and one Stanley Cup to his name, Chara has been there, done it and got the rather large t-shirt in the National Hockey League.
He’s been through the adversity, he’s been through rebuilds and retools and he knows what it takes to climb the mountain and win the greatest prize in all of sports, invaluable knowledge for this young Sens team.
Chara could be the perfect mentor and role model for the likes of Brannstrom on the backend, while his ability to log big minutes, play in all situations and excel on the power play and the penalty kill could help to ease the pressure on Chabot.
Most importantly, however, is the fact that Chara could be a real culture changer for this Ottawa Senators franchise, and he could be the spark they need to finally right the ship and maximise the talent of their prospects and young studs.
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Plus, flush in cap space with $12,502,501, the Ottawa Senators could easily afford to sign Zdeno Chara to a short-term deal and go some way to atoning for their critical and devastating mistake of letting the future Hall of Famer walk in Free Agency all those years ago.