Montreal Canadiens: Zdeno Chara is reassurance for Shea Weber
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens will have Shea Weber on their team for many years, and Zdeno Chara’s extension may reassure fans that he can still play at an old age.
Shea Weber‘s injury this season has had a lot of Montreal Canadiens fans talking about Shea Weber and more specifically, his age. A season-long foot fracture became an ailment that would require surgery, and for some reason, the fact that Weber is 32 is responsible for it. ‘Oh great now he’s starting to break down’ was one of the main comments you could see on social media regarding the veteran defenceman.
It’s understandable (to an extent). Weber has another eight-years on his deal which would have him on the Habs payroll until he’s 40. That’s a scary number in this day and age of the NHL. Playing into your late 40s was a common occurrence, but because of the enhanced speed and skill that has been implemented into the games over the years, those who can’t keep up are left behind. This is one of the reasons worry whether Weber can stick around the entirety of this deal or not.
Here’s some reassurance for you. Zdeno Chara just signed a one-year extension with the Boston Bruins which will have him make $5 million. That number could be increased to $6.750 if he manages to hit on some performance bonuses, but it’s a pay-raise either way from the $4 million he was making this season. Chara is also 41 and will be 42 by the end of the extension.
This has caught some people off guard a little. The signs of a decline were there for Chara and a knee injury sustained in the 2014/15 season had may believe that it was the beginning of the end of a long NHL career. However, Chara has continued to work and build strength to combat the speed in the league. The veteran doesn’t have the quickness and agility to chase down players anymore, but he’s still effective defensively to get the job down and shut down opponents.
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We also can’t overlook the impact that young defenceman Charlie McAvoy has had. The two have an interesting brother-brother relationship on the team’s top pairing which has allowed the rookie to spread his wings a bit as an NHL defenceman. At the same time, McAvoy’s speed and skill on the backend have made Chara’s time easier, even when his minute count hits 20. Ironically, both are injured, but when they come back, the Boston Bruins will be even better than they are now.
Tying in the Montreal Canadiens
So why was all of that above important? If Chara, who a six-foot-nine 250-pound mammoth monster, can still be a reliable option on Boston’s top-pair at 41, why can’t Weber? It’s tricky to compare the two, but Weber is to the Montreal Canadiens what Chara is in Boston. He’s their shutdown option who can also generate offence from the backend whether they are goals opportunities for deflections or rebounds.
Additionally, we can’t ignore how well Weber takes care of himself away from the ice. It was concerning to hear how long he was playing injured, but you have to think that he’s learned from this situation, which may be a unique one. At the same time, there will be a handful of young players in the Habs system who can come up and play next to the veteran if he’s in need of a boost.
The combination of Weber and Victor Mete didn’t last too long, but seeing as how Claude Julien had the 19-year-old with Jeff Petry on the top pair before he went down with an injury, it’s safe to say he’ll be back there next season. Of course, there’s going to be some kind of regression over the years, but it won’t be as drastic as many think. Training camp in September will be a clear indication of where Weber is now and where he can progress to be as the year goes on.
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Age is an obvious thing to look at when searching through the stats. Although Weber is climbing up there, he can still be an effective option for the Montreal Canadiens. He’ll have to put in the work and remain committed to the program, but if you’ve read anything of Weber’s off-ice training, that won’t be a problem.