Boston Bruins behemoth defenseman Zdeno Chara has been a mainstay on the blueline since 2006, but could his time with the team be dwindling?
After the team posted a pleasantly surprising 5-1-0 record when Chara went down with a knee injury, some, including Joe Haggerty of CSN New England, have begun to wonder if, perhaps, it's time to consider a future in Boston that doesn't include the over-sized defender.
While the recent stretch of success has come against somewhat lesser opponents - their last four games came against Buffalo, Ottawa, Florida and Edmonton - the most surprising aspect is that they've won with a strong defensive game, allowing only two goals and less than 30 shots per game.
They've also seen the maturation of a plethora of younger d-men in Joe Morrow and Zach Trotman and the continued rise of Dougie Hamilton - he has two goals and eight points since Chara went down.
Put all of those things together, and one has to wonder if the cold-blooded (in a good way) B's front office might start wondering what kind of value Chara would have in the trade market. The 6-foot-9 intimidator is still playing at an extraordinary high level and would make many bottom feeder NHL clubs an immediate playoff contender by his mere presence.
Of course, shopping the perennial Norris Trophy candidate is unlikely to happen - he's still a very strong player who garners major minutes on the power play and is a powerful presence on the ice.
But, with reports that the salary cap isn't going to increase next season, and with Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli already committing $56.4 million of his payroll to 14 players for next season, along with $12.5 million in projected cap space, the thought of moving Chara begins to sound less far-fetched, according to Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News.
Still, if there's a cap crunch following this season, the notion of moving Chara could seem appealing. He's carrying an annual cap hit of over $6.916 million. At 37, Chara also is beginning to slow down, which was very apparent in last spring's playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.
Granted, Chara does have a full no-movement clause, and the team's recent run of success did come against a lowlier set of opponents.
Still, at 37, the day when Chara is no longer a main cog in the Boston machine seems to be fast approaching.
