Zdeno Chara Agrees to 1-Year Capitals Contract After 14 Seasons with Bruins

Free agent Zdeno Chara is joining the Washington Capitals on a one-year, $795,000 deal, ending a 14-year stint with the Boston Bruins during which the defenseman served as team captain.

Ken Campbell of the Hockey News first reported the signing Wednesday.

Shortly before the deal became official, the 43-year-old posted a farewell message to Boston on his Instagram page. 

"Recently, The Boston Bruins have informed me that they plan to move forward with their many younger and talented players and I respect their decision," Chara wrote. "Unfortunately, my time as the proud Captain of the Bruins has come to an end."

Chara had the longest active captaincy in the league before the move.

Selected in the third round of the 1996 draft, Chara played his first four seasons with the New York Islanders before the Ottawa Senators acquired him during the 2001 draft. After four years with the Sens, Chara found a permanent home in Boston, where he signed a five-year, $37.5 million deal and was immediately named captain. 

That paid off as the Bruins went on a seven-year postseason streak in the Eastern Conference—beginning in his second year with the team—capturing the 2011 Stanley Cup and returning to the final in 2013. That made him just second European-born player to captain a Cup-winning team after Nicklas Lidstrom accomplished the feat with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. 

A physically dominant defender with a booming slap shot, the 6'9", 250-pound Slovak has been named an All-Star seven times and won the 2008-09 Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. 

Chara recorded 14 points for the second consecutive year last season, posting five goals and nine assists with an average time on ice of 21:01 per night and finishing in the top 20 in the Norris race.