Boston Bruins: Should Zdeno Chara see a drop in his ice time?

The Boston Bruins are in a tough spot. Team captain, Zdeno Chara can still get the job done, but at 43 years-old, it may be time to lower his ice-time.

Nothing impressed Boston Bruins fans more than the fact that Zdeno Chara was willing to put it all on the line, playing with a broken jaw in the team’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup this past season. They made sure he knew how much they appreciated him for it too.

However, Zdeno Chara is no spring chicken anymore and has looked off the pace at times, most blatantly in the first round of last season’s playoffs against a speedy Toronto Maple Leafs team.

Given that during the regular season it wasn’t unusual for him to tally ice-time of 22-plus minutes, it’s going to be tough for the Boston Bruins to scale it back without potentially offending a player that has gained legend status since joining the franchise.

More from Editorials

• Pavel Zacha’s veteran status leading to bigger role in 2023-24
• The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
• Why the Bruins should wait to name a captain until after the season
• 3 players the Bruins can, 3 players could trade, 3 players they shouldn’t trade
• It’s time to offer Jake DeBrusk a contract extension

He has played a vital mentoring role to Charlie McAvoy the past few seasons as the youngster got to grips with playing, often on the top pairing, in the NHL. However, his ability to keep up with his much younger teammate leaves you questioning whether he’ll soon start to drag him down.

There have been plenty of times whereby it’s only the reach and size of Zdeno Chara that prevents a goal against the Boston Bruins. Now, you could easily make the argument that this just makes him a smart player; he knows he doesn’t have the turn of pace and utilises the other tools at his disposal to play the game.

On the flip side of that though are the times he finds himself beaten by pure pace; on those occasions, there’s little he can do but try to hurry back.

It’s a tough time when a player still feels he can produce at the top level; in Chara’s case on the Boston Bruins first pairing, but in reality he isn’t quite that guy anymore. Not only that, the fact that he showed a willingness to take a pay cut on his latest deal shows he wants to be here and clearly feels he can contribute.

Now it might seem like a fall from grace, but if the Boston Bruins want to remain competitive, they can’t be one hundred percent reliant upon the past. This coming season, it may be time for Zdeno Chara to drop down the line-up somewhat.

There is great potential for him to be an amazing third pairing guy, providing the same defensive mentoring he did to McAvoy to a younger guy and still offering plenty on the penalty kill. Perhaps the shorthanded minutes are the sweetener to the deal; he may not see 22 minutes a night but could easily get up around the 16-17 minute marker.

The time comes to pass the reigns and when it comes to Zdeno Chara, the chance to rest a little is genuinely deserved. Hopefully he does the right thing for the team and can end his career on the right note; that Stanley Cup that eluded them this year.