*Photo from the Montreal Gazette*
One of the longest tenured defensemen in the NHL is heading back to where his career began. The New York Islanders and left shot D Zdeno Chara have agreed to a one year deal, according to Kevin Weekes of NHL Network. Financial terms have not been disclosed. The Islanders have confirmed the deal.
It's a return to Long Island for Chara, who spent the first 4 years of his storied NHL career in an Islanders uniform. During his tenure with the Islanders, Chara has 6 goals and 23 assists, with a -61 plus/minus in an ATOI of 21:31, playing in 231 regular season games. He'll return to Long Island as they open up a new arena this season, UBS Arena in Belmont Park.
Chara said of coming back to the Islanders that "It's kind of a full circle. Who would have known this would work out the way it did after 20-something years. I'm certainly very honored and humbled to be an Islander again. Obviously, the organization went through some transitions over the course of 20 years, but we all see the progress and the positivity with where the team is at."
Chara was a 3rd round pick in 1996 by the Islanders, chosen with the 56th overall pick of that year's draft, debuting in the 1997-1998 season, when he played 25 games. The Islanders did not make the playoffs while Chara was with the team, and he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in the summer of 2001, where he spent 4 seasons.
Last season, with the Washington Capitals, Chara scored two goals and dished out 8 assists, with a +5 plus/minus in an ATOI of 18:19, playing 55 regular season games, spending most of his time on Washington's 3rd defensive pairing. He did not score a point in 5 playoff games, when the Capitals were eliminated by his old team, the Boston Bruins, in the first round.
Chara spoke about joining the Islanders, saying that "It was always hard to be playing against the Islanders. They're always on you. They play a very heavy game, grinding game and they don't give up many chances, many goals. Games are always tight. It's a very solid group with a stronger leadership and a strong core of players that have been part of the Islanders for a long time."
In his 23 seasons in the NHL, Chara has 207 goals and 459 assists, with a +293 plus/minus in an ATOI of 23:58, suiting up for 1,608 regular season games. In 200 career playoff games, he has 18 goals and 52 assists, and is one of 23 players to have played in at least 200 playoff games. In 2011, he captained the Bruins to a Stanley cup win.
Chara has the Norris Trophy award from the 2008-2009 season, and has made the NHL first all star team 3 times in his career, and the second team for 4 seasons. He's 5th overall among NHL defensemen in total games played, trailing Chris Chelios, Scott Stevens, Larry Murphy, and Ray Bourque.
This season, Chara will have the opportunity to pass Chelios on the games played list, while filling out the left side of the Islander D picture, which has Andy Greene, Adam Pelech, and Sebastian Aho currently on the depth chart.
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