Player Discussion Zdeno Chara IV

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PB37

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And? Chara is out there purely for defense, not offense. 18 ES min, 3+ PK min, 0 PP min, and a 65% d zone start

I care more about actual performance than any "expected" advanced stat. Real numbers, last year he had an ESGF of 63 and ESGA of 39, good for +24

For comparison, McAvoy's was 68 ESGF and 47 ESGA (+21), Krug was 48 ESGF and 47 ESGA (+1) and Carlo was 51 ESGF and 38 ESGA (+13)

Chara is still elite, arguably the best in small, tight spaces. The problem is that eventually the puck will end up on his stick, where he has become a liability. Defenders who can transition the puck quickly and safely up to the forwards or even on their own by skating up the ice have become the gold standard in today's league. And no, that doesn't mean stock up on small D who accumulate points. Large D who don't rack up points but show the ability to help the transition from defense to offense quickly are very much in demand.
 

BigBadBruins7708

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Chara is still elite, arguably the best in small, tight spaces. The problem is that eventually the puck will end up on his stick, where he has become a liability. Defenders who can transition the puck quickly and safely up to the forwards or even on their own by skating up the ice have become the gold standard in today's league. And no, that doesn't mean stock up on small D who accumulate points. Large D who don't rack up points but show the ability to help the transition from defense to offense quickly are very much in demand.

Which I get. He's still competent enough to get the puck to the offensive guys even if he isn't a carry it zone exit guy. He was in line with his career average with 52 giveaways

It's a little ironic too because one of the biggest complaints we hear is McAvoy needs the puck more. Well, he gets the zone exits.
.
 

The National

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You have to wonder about the competency of an organization that feels Kevan Miller has more left in the tank than Chara.
Agreed. But I’m thinking Miller was more of a locker-room move than a hockey move. He’s well liked in there. They knew they weren’t bringing Zee back so they needed some veteran presence for the young guys back there. That’s just my guess.

The money they gave him for that role is another story.
 

GordonHowe

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Agreed. But I’m thinking Miller was more of a locker-room move than a hockey move. He’s well liked in there. They knew they weren’t bringing Zee back so they needed some veteran presence for the young guys back there. That’s just my guess.

The money they gave him for that role is another story.

I'm sorry. Miller was never more than average, and with his injuries, never terribly intimidating.

Like Andrew, you got the injuries because of the way he played. Full marks.

To bring him back as Humpty Dumpty now, well, that shows you where SweeNeely are.

Give me Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien any day of the week. Cassidy has done well, and I appreciate that.

But current Bruins mismanagement? Sinden/OC redux.

Ugh.

And, it will take another season, more likely the one after that, for Charlie to step in and get rid of them. At which point, DN will have made back its concessions, with interest, but the club will be in the toilet.

Sound familiar?
 

WhalerTurnedBruin55

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Agreed. But I’m thinking Miller was more of a locker-room move than a hockey move. He’s well liked in there. They knew they weren’t bringing Zee back so they needed some veteran presence for the young guys back there. That’s just my guess.

The money they gave him for that role is another story.
I don't disagree why they signed him.

But for a team that sure looks like they are counting every penny to fit guys in to make any sort of move really doesn't make sense to sign him to that money.

In a vacuum, sure he's slightly overpaid, but not crippling. But bigger picture, why in the world is Kevan Miller a priority? Let alone throw more than a league minimum to a guy that hasn't played in 2 years. Hell there were better players signed for less money than him (not even including the bonus he'll possibly get)
 

4ORRBRUIN

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I'm sorry. Miller was never more than average, and with his injuries, never terribly intimidating.

Like Andrew, you got the injuries because of the way he played. Full marks.

To bring him back as Humpty Dumpty now, well, that shows you where SweeNeely are.

Give me Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien any day of the week. Cassidy has done well, and I appreciate that.

But current Bruins mismanagement? Sinden/OC redux.

Ugh.

And, it will take another season, more likely the one after that, for Charlie to step in and get rid of them. At which point, DN will have made back its concessions, with interest, but the club will be in the toilet.

Sound familiar?

I must have been in a coma over the last 15 years .. are we really the TML?
 
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Maine Fan

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If Chara is done with the Bruins, and I think he is, then
I am disappointed with the exit. The Bruins and Chara should have agreed to a low salary and then let Zdeno say goodbye at every arena during the regular season.

Go Bruins
 
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Kalus

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If Chara is done with the Bruins, and I think he is, then
I am disappointed with the exit. The Bruins and Chara should have agreed to a low salary and then let Zdeno say goodbye at every arena during the regular season.

Go Bruins

Honestly, I think that's the rub. Chara would have to agree to this low salary you speak of. He squeezed them for almost $4M last year, I imagine he has set some number for himself for this year that the Bruins can't meet if they want to make prudent use of their cap space. The man is notoriously ultra cheap, he probably sees taking less as wasting money he could have earned.

Look at a guy like Thornton taking $700k. I am sure the Bruins would sign Chara today for that cap hit.
 
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Dellstrom

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Strange that he hasn’t been re-signed or retired yet. I really don’t think he’ll leave the Boston area unless he really, really wants to keep playing and we refuse to take him (which I really doubt..). Maybe he’s waiting to see what next season looks like.

I hope his exit isn’t as “meh” as this. He deserves so much better.
 

NDiesel

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Strange that he hasn’t been re-signed or retired yet. I really don’t think he’ll leave the Boston area unless he really, really wants to keep playing and we refuse to take him (which I really doubt..). Maybe he’s waiting to see what next season looks like.

I hope his exit isn’t as “meh” as this. He deserves so much better.
Realistically what's the rush? Season doesn't start until at least January, maybe he wants time to get into what he feels is good enough shape to play before making that decision.
 
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BigBadBruins7708

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Realistically what's the rush? Season doesn't start until at least January, maybe he wants time to get into what he feels is good enough shape to play before making that decision.

If he's the one delaying because he's deciding to come back, then fine.

But if the team is leaving him dangling in the breeze like this then its as bad as Sinden taking Bourque to arbitration, and another case of the same ol s*** from management/ownership
 
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Kalus

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If he's the one delaying because he's deciding to come back, then fine.

But if the team is leaving him dangling in the breeze like this then its as bad as Sinden taking Bourque to arbitration, and another case of the same ol s*** from management/ownership

What if he wants $2.5 - $3M? Do you blame the team for not signing him?
 
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PaulD

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If Chara is done with the Bruins, and I think he is, then
I am disappointed with the exit. The Bruins and Chara should have agreed to a low salary and then let Zdeno say goodbye at every arena during the regular season.

Go Bruins
Stay tuned.
 
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PaulD

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this make 2019 even worse.
imagine he wins the cup w a broken jaw.
losing to that scrub team still worst series loss ever for the Bruins. Not even close.
That "scrub team" had the best D 1 thru 6 in the league. A red hot goalie. Bs had the best first line (injured a usual) the Blues 2nd, 3rd, 4th lines were superior to the Bruins.

Close series . Game 7 ......Blues won the goal tending battle and Marchand had a melt down.

As far as "worse series loss ever"..........the 010 loss to the Flyers. Without a doubt.
 
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BTO

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That "scrub team" had the best D 1 thru 6 in the league. A red hot goalie. Bs had the best first line (injured a usual) the Blues 2nd, 3rd, 4th lines were superior to the Bruins.

Close series . Game 7 ......Blues won the goal tending battle and Marchand had a melt down.

As far as "worse series loss ever"..........the 010 loss to the Flyers. Without a doubt.
I was the angriest after the Flyers series (nearly got divorced over it lol. Wife: it's just a game. Me: tomorrow it will be "just a game". Tonight it's the end of the world). But it was the EC semis. You get over those (especially after the following yea). It's Final losses that haunt you forever.

If you're going to lose the 2nd round is the "best" round to lose in imo. Worst is the Final because you never get over those. 2nd worst is the first because "come on, you couldn't win at least one round?" (just ask leaf fans). Conference Finals are annoying because "we could have made the Final". 2nd round is meh.
 

PaulD

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I was the angriest after the Flyers series (nearly got divorced over it lol. Wife: it's just a game. Me: tomorrow it will be "just a game". Tonight it's the end of the world). But it was the EC semis. You get over those (especially after the following yea). It's Final losses that haunt you forever.

If you're going to lose the 2nd round is the "best" round to lose in imo. Worst is the Final because you never get over those. 2nd worst is the first because "come on, you couldn't win at least one round?" (just ask leaf fans). Conference Finals are annoying because "we could have made the Final". 2nd round is meh.
Unless you are up three games to ZERO, and 16th place team that comes back to eliminate you goes onto the finals......instead of you.

That was not your typical "second round loss"
 

Hamilton Brian

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So here we are, many weeks gone, and a few weeks to go. A lot of the projections do NOT have Chara in the lineup. Instead it's McAvoy, Grizz, Moore, Miller. Are we really that done with Chara that we can't assume on more year of him? This is really starting to piss me off. It's this way of going forward that makes me really worried after this year, and next.

"Hey Patrice, you might have some gas left, but we'd like to give you a FO job."
 

Bruinaura

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So here we are, many weeks gone, and a few weeks to go. A lot of the projections do NOT have Chara in the lineup. Instead it's McAvoy, Grizz, Moore, Miller. Are we really that done with Chara that we can't assume on more year of him? This is really starting to piss me off. It's this way of going forward that makes me really worried after this year, and next.

"Hey Patrice, you might have some gas left, but we'd like to give you a FO job."
How do we know there's not a playing offer on the table, and Chara is the one that wants to wait?
 
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BBBruins

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I would definitely take Chara back if it meant we would trade Moore elsewhere and it would free up some cap space to us.

In fact, i dream of that.
 

BTO

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Unless you are up three games to ZERO, and 16th place team that comes back to eliminate you goes onto the finals......instead of you.

That was not your typical "second round loss"
No, it wasn't. Like I said, I was angry about. I got over it because of 2011. Still not over 2013 or 2019. Won't be over those until we win the Cup again.
 
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