While he didn’t come right out and say, ‘I’m not retiring’, Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said about the the closest thing he could. “I want to stay in Boston. I want to play for Boston Bruins.”
After rumors surfaced the big man was thinking about hanging it up, he spoke with media on Thursday and quickly squashed those rumors. When asked about what the odds are he gets another deal done, he says, “I am confident. At the same time, you’ve been in the hockey business so long you know there are different circumstances and possibilities.” He added, “We will see what decisions are going to be made. That’s something up to my agent and the senior upper management to go over with.”
While this is great news for Bruins fans who didn’t want to see Chara leave the NHL yet, there is some concern as to how effective he will be. Certainly, even 50% of Chara is better than 100% of some defenseman but his game has definitely slowed. On his ability to keep up and maintain the faster pace of the NHL, he said, “I feel strong physically, and I’m positive, and I believe that I can still play this game and contribute to the team.”
He said he still has the passion for the game and still believes there are some very positive things going on with the team despite a disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Lighting and early exit versus expectations from the playoffs.
Just Figure Out The Numbers
On when he wants to start talking a new deal, Chara said, “The sooner, the better.”
Now, it just a matter of the numbers. If Chara wants to stay and he wants to stay in Boston, he’ll likely have to take a hefty discount and a deal under his $2 million salary from last season. The Bruins are already tight against the cap and there is speculation players like Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk could be on their way out.
Bruins fans won’t love the idea that Boston can’t afford either if too much money was given to Chara.
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