Instant Reaction to the Zdeno Chara signing

What is happening?

Out of no where, it was announced today that longtime Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is signing with the Caps on a one-year, $795,000 deal. The oldest team in the NHL just added the oldest active player, as the 43-year-old blue liner will come in and compete for time on the third pair.

I say “compete” because there are now nine(!) defensemen on the active roster, and besides Paul LaDue, it’s not yet clear who the other odd man out will be by the time the season opens on Jan. 14 against the Buffalo Sabres.

So what do we have in Chara? Well if Henrik Lundqvist were still playing this season, we’d have the best core in the NHL… in 2008. You know, the year where Alex Ovechkin won his first Hart Trophy at 22, Nicklas Backstrom finished second in Calder Trophy voting at 20, Lundqvist finished third in Vezina Trophy voting at 25 and Chara finished third in the Norris Trophy race at… 30.

This man was a seasoned veteran entering his 30s when Ovi and Backstrom were babies in this league. After bringing in 39-year-old Craig Anderson on a Professional Tryout Agreement following Lundqvist’s exit, this team just seems hell-bent on becoming as old as possible.

The average age of the Capitals forwards is 29.9, and the addition of Chara brings the defensemen average to 30.5 years old. I know the Caps minor league system isn’t loaded with high-end young prospects, but this is getting insane.

Chara made his NHL debut on Nov. 19, 1997. His new teammate, Jonas Siegenthaler, was five months old. Chara is now the 11th player on the roster aged 30 or older (12 if you include Lundqvist), and there are four more who are 29.

This team looked old and sluggish in the bubble this summer, and the team responds by bringing in a player that makes Lundqvist and Ilya Kovalchuk look like spring chickens.

To be fair, Chara isn’t just any 43-year-old that needs to be coddled; he played in 68 games last season. That said, he still (understandably) regressed this past season, and he will continue to decline as he gets older.

As much as Bruins fans will miss their former captain, isn’t it telling that Chara could have been re-signed for less than a million dollars and the Bruins still let him walk? They have a couple promising young defensemen, but there was still room for Chara if they wanted him back. That seems a bit concerning, especially given the overwhelming sentimental value he holds with the franchise.

In Lundqvist’s case, his play was declining and the Rangers have a couple netminders waiting in the wings, which made Lundqvist’s presence and cap hit impractical. Aside from the declining play, that wasn’t the case with Chara in Boston. The Bruins simply decided to move on.

At the end of the day, it’s an inexpensive, one-year deal that won’t have any long term ramifications if Chara’s play really falls off a cliff. The bigger question is why wasn’t that money placed somewhere that could use it more, namely depth scoring?

Conor Sheary was added this week and could turn out to be a great addition to the bottom six forward group, but there’s still a need for a 13th forward and the Caps are currently more than $3.5 million above the salary cap, according to CapFriendly. Not to mention, the Caps still need to commit to a backup goaltender, which will put them further over budget.

Peter Laviolette is a defensive-minded coach, and bringing in a widely respected former captain with Stanley Cup experience will be great for the locker room, but I’m not sure how much it really improves the team on the ice. This team’s championship window is closing rapidly, and maybe Chara brings an extra component of leadership that this team needs to get back to the top.

One thing is for sure: If the Stanley Cup was a hardest shot competition, the Caps would be the most overwhelming contender in years. Ovechkin, Chara and John Carlson on the same roster should land any opposing goaltender’s head in witness protection.

Cover Photo Credit: Washington Capitals Twitter