Boston Bruins: Do Not Rush Zdeno Chara
Oct 21, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) during their game against the San Jose Sharks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Zdeno Chara spoke to reporters for the first time Tuesday night since suffering a PCL tear against the New York Islanders on October 23rd. Chara was evasive to say the least as reporters fired questions concerning his health and possible return to the ice. In an unsurprising development, the words of the coach reflected the words of the player as Claude Julien appeared to want nothing to do with giving thought to the giant defenseman’s return.
The original timetable for the injury calls for 4-6 weeks of recovery, however given some of the comments from Chara Tuesday night, it sounds like he nor the Bruins coaching staff have any clue of when he will be return; or do they? I’m not trying to insinuate some conspiracy theory as to the nature of the situation regarding Chara’s injury, however one of two things could be of real possibility.
The first of which stems from comments made by Chara in response to his thoughts on not requiring surgery. According to WEEI.com, Chara stated, “It’s always nice to avoid surgery. We’ll see how it goes, but that was obviously good news.” The non-committal language from Chara could point towards that surgery is on the horizon.
After all it was TSN’s Aaron Ward who said the Bruins would wait to evaluate the need for surgery for Chara at the end of the 4-6 week timeframe. Obviously, if surgery is required it will be a critical blow to the Bruins chances moving forward; especially come playoff time. However, I personally feel the evasive tactics being employed by Julien and Chara when discussing the recovery process of his injury has a distinct purpose.
In my opinion, what’s the rush in bringing back Chara sooner than necessary. Ultimately what matters is the Bruins securing a playoff birth; not winning the Presidents Trophy or securing a top two or three seed. The goal of reaching the playoffs is something the Bruins can accomplish without having to rely on the services of the anchor of their defense.
Apologies if securing home ice is not of the utmost concern to me; especially given the fact that the Bruins have seen their season end on home ice in five of the last six seasons. I would prefer a Chara at 110 percent to start the playoffs as opposed to the fatigued and mediocre version we have seen over the last two postseasons.
The most important thing for this Bruins team is to have good health at the right time and having our number one weapon and captain free of woe could go a long way to another deep playoff run. We have seen the Bruins persevere and go on a four game winning streak and be victorious in seven of their last nine. After having what was essentially a cake walk to the Presidents Trophy last year, it might be good for the Bruins to encounter some adversity before the real test of the playoffs comes. Only time will tell but don’t expect the Bruins to take any chances on rushing Chara back to action.