Bruins extend Zdeno Chara through the 2020 season

The Bruins announced this morning that captain Zdeno Chara has been signed to a one-year contract extension, keeping him in Boston through the 2020 season.

Per the team, the contract is worth $2 million, with another $1.75 million in “performance-based incentives.”

The team didn’t release any info on no-trade clauses, but it’s a pretty safe bet to assume he’ll have one.

His current contract is worth $5 million in salary with the same $1.75 million in bonuses, so he clearly took a step down this time in terms of money.

Some detail on the bonuses:

This is good news for the Bruins, as they’ll keep their captain, who is still an effective defender, in the fold for another year, keeping him around to mentor young defensemen like Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and (next year) Urho Vaakanainen.

The smaller cap hit means the Bruins have a bit more flexibility in other areas as well.

Chara’s re-signing means the Bruins have the majority of the defense corps under contract for next season: Chara, Torey Krug, John Moore, Kevan Miller and Matt Grzelcyk are all on the books, with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the books as pending RFA’s.

The 2019-2020 season will be Chara’s 14th with the B’s, and will (barring disaster) see him play his 1,000th game as a Bruin sometime next fall.

Welcome back, Big Z!