Bruins Sign Zdeno Chara to Seven-Year Contract Extension

The Boston Bruins have announced that they have signed defenseman Zdeno Chara to a seven-year contract extension worth $45.5 million. The deal averages out to $6.5 million per season. He would have been an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2010-11 season. In 80 games last season with the Bruins, he had seven goals and 37 assists for 44 points and 87 penalty minutes. Not a bad signing for Boston to keep their franchise defenseman for the next several years, but seven years might be a bit lengthy for Chara. He will be 40 years old in the final year of this contract and his effectiveness on the ice likely won't be what it is today, and perhaps a five-year deal would have been more suitable. However, he will always play with lots of grit and toughness and be a proven leader on the team, no matter his age or decline in production.