What does Zdeno Chara bring to the Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals shocked the hockey world by signing long-time Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara to a one-year deal.
2020 has been the weirdest, strangest, and longest year ever. Just when everyone thought the chaos of 2020 was over, 2020 had one more trick up its sleeve. On December 30th, the Washington Capitals signed long-time Boston Bruins defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara to a one-year deal worth $795,000.
Additionally, Chara can make up to $730,000 in performance bonuses. He’ll get $230,000 if he plays 10 games, $250,000 if the Capitals make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and $250,000 if the Capitals win the Stanley Cup.
It’s going to be weird as heck seeing Chara in anything other than a Bruins sweater (or an Ottawa Senators sweater or New York Islanders sweater, I suppose). “Big Z” defined the Bruins for over a decade. Anytime you can stick around for nearly 15 years in Boston as an athlete, you’re doing something right. And Chara did a lot right. He’s a future Hall of Famer. Even when you consider all of the incredible defensemen the Bruins have had over the years - Bobby Orr, Raymond Bourque, Eddie Shore, just to name a few - Chara’s one of the best.
Chara is no longer the elite shutdown defenseman he was for roughly a decade. He’s not getting any more Norris Trophy votes. Chara’s 43 freaking years old. But he still has something left in the tank and the Capitals are hoping what’s left in his tank is enough to help them win another Stanley Cup.
What exactly are the Capitals getting in Chara though? Let’s take a look.
Leadership
Look, I’m a numbers guy. I like numbers. Usually, when I start talking about “intangibles”, I’m being sarcastic. Intangibles are, by definition, impossible to measure. But dang it, Chara has a ton of intangibles and I’d be negligent if I didn’t discuss them.
There might not be a more highly respected player in the NHL than Chara. He’s the league’s gentle giant. Chara’s a vicious man on the ice and a patient, understanding one off the ice. As meaningless and laughable as the Mark Messier Award is, he’s one of the only three Europeans to win it and he’s the second most recent to do so. Chara won it in 2010-11 and former Senators teammate Daniel Alfredsson won it in 2012-13.
Last season, the Capitals lacked leadership. They lacked accountability. Chara’s going to help change the culture of the locker room. He won’t have a C on his sweater because it rightfully belongs to Alex Ovechkin. But Chara is the kind of leader who doesn’t need a “C” on the front of his sweater to be a leader.
What kind of leader is Chara? Here are some examples. First, Chara has learned multiple languages so he can communicate with his teammates. That’s next level leadership. It’s something you can’t put a price on. Secondly, Chara made sure rookies in Boston were a part of the team. Usually, rookies are outcasts or the butt of everyone’s joke. Not for Chara. In Boston, he made sure to make them feel comfortable.
Then there’s the time he broke multiple facial bones during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and missed zero games. Chara’s the kind of guy who would swan dive into molten lava if it would help his team win. The Capitals need more of that. It’s what they had in 2018. The Capitals are basically adding another coach and another player with Chara.
Also, the Capitals lost a great human being in Braden Holtby. He means so much to the DC community. Chara is one of the very few people who could replace him. He’s been heavily involved in Black Lives Matter and other charities. Chara, much like Holtby, is someone who Capitals fans can be proud of.
He could have a long-term impact as well. The Capitals have several young defensemen - most notably Alexander Alexeyev, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Martin Fehérváry. I can’t think of a better mentor for them than Chara.
On The Ice
As I mentioned earlier, Chara’s no longer an elite defenseman. But he’s still an effective one in the right role. Chara’s offensive contributions at this point are very limited. He still has the hardest shot around, but other than that, there’s not much he can do to help on offense. Which is fine because the Capitals don’t need help there.
The Capitals signed Chara because of what he’ll bring to the table on defense. Defensively, Chara has lost a step or two, but his positioning is still great. He’s still an outstanding penalty killer. Chara is still a physical defenseman who knows how to use his size and length to his advantage better than anyone else.
At 43 years old, Chara can’t play the heavy minutes he used to play. That’s fine because the Capitals have the depth required to keep him fresh. He’ll join a crowded left side of the blueline that features Brendan Dillon, Dmitry Orlov, and Jonas Siegenthaler. There’s also Michal Kempny, but he’s on the long-term injured reserve list. On top of that, young defenseman Martin Fehérváry has shined in limited playing time.
The 2020-21 season will allow teams to have “taxi squads”. This will allow the Capitals to flaunt their defensive depth. Chara will likely see time with just about everyone, but ideally, he’ll be playing third pairing minutes at 5v5 while basically getting the Ovechkin treatment (play the whole darn time) during penalties.
Frankly, it’s shameful Chara didn’t retire as a Bruin. He deserved that honor. But the Bruins decided to move on from him and the Capitals are the beneficiaries of their questionable decision.