Pierre LeBrun reports on today’s TSN Insider Trading that Zdeno Chara returning to the Boston Bruins for next season is not set in stone. While he noted that the Bruins are still the frontrunners, when LeBrun reached out to Chara’s agent, he got an interesting answer.
Related: The Latest on Mike Hoffman: Will it be the Boston Bruins?
LeBrun noted that the agent (Matt Cater) for an update and Cater said, “Exploring all options.”
LeBrun added that other teams keep calling Chara’s agent about his availability and the one thing Chara has told everyone is that he’s going to take his time and the format matters in terms of how the NHL returns to play.
With a young family and what next season might look like, Chara might want to wait out this free agency period for a while and see how things shake down with the league. “Bottom line now is Big Z is in a holding pattern,” said LeBrun.
Hard to Imagine Chara In Another Uniform
If Chara does decide to return and it’s not with the Bruins, it will be hard to envision him not wearing a Bruins sweater. At the same time, we’ve said that about a number of players who are switching teams after long stays with their former franchises.
So much has changed with the cap but Boston has the room needed to bring Chara back once he decides what he wants to do. Should he retire, losing Torey Krug and Chara in one offseason is a bit loss for the Bruins blue line, both it terms of on-ice play and the leadership Chara brings.
Next: Report Confirms Laine Has Told Jets He’d Prefer a Trade Out of Winnipeg
