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Defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a one-year contract with the New York Islanders for his 24th NHL season, joining the organization that originally drafted him in 1996.
Chara, 44, played with the Washington Capitals last season, playing 55 games and contributing two goals and eight assists. He joined Washington for a one-year contract. Unrestricted free agent, this is the fourth consecutive one-year contract signed by Chara.
The 6-foot-9 defenseman was drafted in the third round (56th overall) in 1996 by the Islanders. He played 231 games for them from 1997 to 2001 before general manager Mike Milbury sent him, winger Bill Muckalt and a first-round pick who became center Jason Spezza to the Ottawa Senators for center Alexei Yashin. – a transaction that still holds a place of infamy for Islanders fans.
Chara celebrated the homecoming with an Instagram post on Saturday in which he wore one of his old Islander sweaters, writing: “I had to dust them off, but of course they still look good!”
The defenseman has played 1,608 games with the Islanders, Senators, Boston Bruins and Capitals since joining the NHL in 1997-98 – the 13th most games played in NHL history. Chara has 207 career goals and 459 assists, as well as 2,000 penalty minutes. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2008-09 and has been a finalist for the award six times.
The signing helps fill the left side of the Islanders’ defense, as Chara joins Adam Pelech, Andy Greene and Sebastian Aho on the depths board.
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