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Photo of Zdeno Chara

Zdeno Chara

#33 · Defence · New York Islanders · Hockey Hall of Fame

Born Mar 18, 1977 in Trencin, SVK · 6'9", 250 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 56th overall in 1996 by NYI (round 3)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2010-11
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award Leadership and Growing the Game 2010-11
James Norris Memorial Trophy Top Defenseman 2008-09

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2015-16. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Alex Goligoski DAL · 37 P in 82 GP Alex Pietrangelo STL · 37 P in 73 GP Justin Faulk CAR · 37 P in 64 GP Aaron Ekblad FLA · 36 P in 78 GP Morgan Rielly TOR · 36 P in 82 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

020401997-98: 1 points197-981998-99: 8 points81999-00: 11 points1199-002000-01: 9 points92001-02: 23 points2301-022002-03: 39 points392003-04: 41 points4103-042005-06: 43 points432006-07: 43 points4306-072007-08: 51 points512008-09: 50 points5008-092009-10: 44 points442010-11: 44 points4410-112011-12: 52 points522012-13: 19 points1912-132013-14: 40 points402014-15: 20 points2014-152015-16: 37 points372016-17: 29 points2916-172017-18: 24 points242018-19: 14 points1418-192019-20: 14 points142020-21: 10 points1020-212021-22: 14 points14

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
1997-98 NYI 25 0 1 1 1 50 10 52 0.04
1998-99 NYI 59 2 6 8 -8 83 56 214 0.14
1999-00 NYI 65 2 9 11 -27 57 47 309 0.17
2000-01 NYI 82 2 7 9 -27 157 83 373 0.11
2001-02 OTT 75 10 13 23 30 156 105 299 0.31
2002-03 OTT 74 9 30 39 29 116 168 74 0.53
2003-04 OTT 79 16 25 41 33 147 185 239 0.52
2005-06 OTT 71 16 27 43 17 135 212 224 0.61 $1.862M
2006-07 BOS 80 11 32 43 -21 100 204 203 0.54 $7.5M
2007-08 BOS 77 17 34 51 14 114 207 223 0.66 $7.5M
2008-09 BOS 80 19 31 50 23 95 216 169 0.63 $7.5M
2009-10 BOS 80 7 37 44 19 87 242 151 0.55 $7.5M
2010-11 BOS 81 14 30 44 33 88 264 153 0.54 $7.5M
2011-12 BOS 79 12 40 52 33 86 224 166 0.66 $6.5M
2012-13 BOS 48 7 12 19 14 70 119 101 0.40 $6.917M
2013-14 BOS 77 17 23 40 25 66 168 163 0.52 $6.917M
2014-15 BOS 63 8 12 20 0 42 138 125 0.32 $6.917M
2015-16 BOS 80 9 28 37 12 71 158 134 0.46 $6.917M
2016-17 BOS 75 10 19 29 18 59 136 130 0.39 $6.917M
2017-18 BOS 73 7 17 24 22 60 144 141 0.33 $4M
2018-19 BOS 62 5 9 14 22 57 99 81 0.23 $5M
2019-20 BOS 68 5 9 14 26 60 86 78 0.21 $2M
2020-21 WSH 55 2 8 10 5 44 67 88 0.18 $795K
2021-22 NYI 72 2 12 14 8 85 81 125 0.19 $750K
24 seasons Career 1680 209 471 680 301 2085 3419 4015 0.40

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2001-02 OTT 10 0 1 1 4 12 17 40 0.10
2002-03 OTT 18 1 6 7 3 14 32 52 0.39
2003-04 OTT 7 1 1 2 3 8 12 26 0.29
2005-06 OTT 10 1 3 4 0 23 17 29 0.40
2007-08 BOS 7 1 1 2 -1 12 14 21 0.29
2008-09 BOS 11 1 3 4 1 12 28 37 0.36
2009-10 BOS 13 2 5 7 1 29 34 39 0.54
2010-11 BOS 24 2 7 9 16 34 62 56 0.38
2011-12 BOS 7 1 2 3 -1 8 21 26 0.43
2012-13 BOS 22 3 12 15 7 20 55 72 0.68
2013-14 BOS 12 2 2 4 4 14 22 45 0.33
2016-17 BOS 6 0 1 1 -3 2 8 36 0.17
2017-18 BOS 12 1 2 3 7 4 26 36 0.25
2018-19 BOS 23 2 4 6 11 16 21 57 0.26
2019-20 BOS 10 0 1 1 -2 8 11 24 0.10
2020-21 WSH 5 0 0 0 1 2 5 10 0.00
16 seasons Playoffs 197 18 51 69 51 218 385 606 0.35

2015-16 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
80 9 28 37 12 71 158 134 0.46 5.7 24:06

Contract

$6.917MCap hit2015-16
$187KCap dollars per point37 points in 80 games
$1.129MCap dollars per goal above replacement6.1 goals above replacement
$4.4MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$2.5MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 668 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2020-21 to 2021-22 $795K
2019-20 to 2019-20 $2M
2018-19 to 2018-19 $5M
2017-18 to 2017-18 $4M
2012-13 to 2016-17 $6.917M
2011-12 to 2017-18 $6.5M
2006-07 to 2010-11 $7.5M
2005-06 to 2005-06 $1.862M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2015-16 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2015-16 analytics

Rating

+6.1Goals above replacement167th of 675 skaters, 50th of 230 defencemen
+1.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.3Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 230 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence0.0 62nd percentileEven-strength defence+1.0 68th percentilePower play+0.2 86th percentilePenalty kill+0.5 88th percentilePenalties-1.9 10th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-50510152010-112012-132014-152016-172018-192020-21Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

49.6Corsi for %1355 attempts for, 1376 against
0.0CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.5Expected goals for %49.9 expected for, 50.8 against
+0.5xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
54.1Goals for %60 for, 51 against
100.9PDO8.0% shooting + 92.9% saves
231Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 561 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Zdeno Chara · Zach Trotman36439:2648.548.621-19
Zdeno Chara · Kevan Miller61361:3950.848.712-12
Zdeno Chara · Adam McQuaid53210:0547.847.86-4
Zdeno Chara · Colin Miller40192:4853.656.311-6

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

8Goalsnot counting empty-netters
6.1Expected goalsfrom 214 unblocked attempts
+1.9Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.19 expected goals per 60 minutes51st
Shot quality 2.9% chance per attempt41st
Finishing +1.9 goals above expected85thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 230 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

02468Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 8Expected 6.1

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 9, 2016 vs OTT L 1-6 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 25:42
Apr 7, 2016 vs DET W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 24:02
Apr 5, 2016 vs CAR L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 24:51
Apr 3, 2016 @ CHI L 4-6 0 1 1 1 2 5 2 23:48
Apr 1, 2016 @ STL W 6-5 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 28:29
Mar 29, 2016 @ NJD L 1-2 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 23:28
Mar 26, 2016 @ TOR W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 2 5 25:41
Mar 24, 2016 vs FLA L 1-4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 23:25
Mar 23, 2016 @ NYR L 2-5 0 1 1 1 4 2 2 20:29
Mar 19, 2016 @ LAK L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 6 23:27
Mar 18, 2016 @ ANA L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 7 2 1 20:58
Mar 15, 2016 @ SJS L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 23:29
Mar 12, 2016 vs NYI W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 2 0 1 22:11
Mar 10, 2016 vs CAR L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 5 4 23:09
Mar 8, 2016 @ TBL W 1-0 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 23:55
Mar 7, 2016 @ FLA W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 25:18
Mar 5, 2016 vs WSH L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 2 3 24:24
Mar 3, 2016 vs CHI W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 23:53
Mar 1, 2016 vs CGY W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24:42
Feb 28, 2016 vs TBL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 2 0 1 21:43
Feb 26, 2016 @ CAR W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 26:36
Feb 24, 2016 vs PIT W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 23:05
Feb 22, 2016 vs CBJ L 4-6 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 24:17
Feb 20, 2016 @ DAL W 7-3 0 2 2 0 0 3 0 25:11
Feb 18, 2016 @ NSH L 0-2 0 0 0 -2 0 2 3 21:48
Feb 16, 2016 @ CBJ W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 24:05
Feb 14, 2016 @ DET L 5-6 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 21:58
Feb 13, 2016 @ MIN W 4-2 1 0 1 1 2 4 2 23:50
Feb 11, 2016 @ WPG W 6-2 0 1 1 4 0 2 3 22:08
Feb 9, 2016 vs LAK L 2-9 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 21:13
Feb 6, 2016 vs BUF W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 3 1 23:31
Feb 4, 2016 @ BUF W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 5 1 26:56
Feb 2, 2016 vs TOR L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 24:46
Jan 26, 2016 vs ANA L 2-6 1 0 1 1 2 3 4 23:19
Jan 25, 2016 @ PHI W 3-2 0 2 2 0 0 0 3 25:10
Jan 23, 2016 vs CBJ W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 25:45
Jan 21, 2016 vs VAN L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 22:09
Jan 19, 2016 @ MTL W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 23:24
Jan 16, 2016 vs TOR W 3-2 0 1 1 1 2 3 1 24:04
Jan 15, 2016 @ BUF W 4-1 1 0 1 1 2 2 2 24:15
Jan 13, 2016 @ PHI L 2-3 0 0 0 -3 0 0 2 23:37
Jan 11, 2016 @ NYR L 1-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 25:13
Jan 9, 2016 @ OTT L 1-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 21:37
Jan 8, 2016 @ NJD W 4-1 0 1 1 -1 2 0 0 22:44
Jan 5, 2016 vs WSH L 2-3 0 0 0 1 2 3 2 27:16
Jan 1, 2016 vs MTL L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 23:36
Dec 29, 2015 vs OTT W 7-3 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 24:38
Dec 27, 2015 @ OTT L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 3 25:16
Dec 26, 2015 vs BUF L 3-6 0 1 1 -2 0 3 2 26:18
Dec 22, 2015 vs STL L 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 23:21
Dec 20, 2015 vs NJD W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 6 1 22:32
Dec 18, 2015 @ PIT W 6-2 0 1 1 3 0 1 2 24:08
Dec 16, 2015 vs PIT W 3-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 21:35
Dec 14, 2015 vs EDM L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 23:06
Dec 12, 2015 vs FLA W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 23:25
Dec 9, 2015 @ MTL W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 25:12
Dec 7, 2015 vs NSH L 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 22:18
Dec 5, 2015 @ VAN W 4-0 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 25:47
Dec 4, 2015 @ CGY L 4-5 (OT) 1 1 2 0 2 4 0 24:37
Dec 2, 2015 @ EDM L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 1 0 6 0 26:07
Nov 27, 2015 vs NYR W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 22:50
Nov 25, 2015 @ DET W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 24:12
Nov 23, 2015 @ TOR W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 26:44
Nov 21, 2015 vs TOR W 2-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 23:03
Nov 19, 2015 vs MIN W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 25:52
Nov 17, 2015 vs SJS L 4-5 0 1 1 -2 0 3 1 21:07
Nov 14, 2015 vs DET W 3-1 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 24:38
Nov 12, 2015 vs COL L 2-3 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 24:31
Nov 8, 2015 @ NYI W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 28:46
Nov 7, 2015 @ MTL L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 23:27
Nov 5, 2015 @ WSH L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 24:47
Nov 3, 2015 vs DAL L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 22:34
Oct 31, 2015 @ TBL W 3-1 0 1 1 2 2 2 3 24:10
Oct 30, 2015 @ FLA W 3-1 1 1 2 0 2 2 3 26:19
Oct 27, 2015 vs ARI W 6-0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 24:57
Oct 23, 2015 @ NYI W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 24:15
Oct 21, 2015 vs PHI L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 26:46
Oct 17, 2015 @ ARI W 5-3 0 1 1 0 2 4 1 25:36
Oct 14, 2015 @ COL W 6-2 0 2 2 2 2 2 0 24:47
Oct 12, 2015 vs TBL L 3-6 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 21:27