Zdeno Chara has signed a one-year contract with the New York Islanders

Zdeno Chara is going back to where it all began.

The future Hall of Fame defender has inked a one-year contract with the New York Islanders, the team announced on Saturday.

The Islanders drafted Chara with the No. 56 overall pick in the 1997 draft. He played 20 games with the team in the 1997-98 season as a 20-year-old rookie and would ultimately spend four seasons on Long Island.
In June of 2001, Chara was dealt along with the No. 2 overall pick, which was used on @Jason Spezza, to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for @Alexei Yashin. It was as a member of the Senators that Chara would break out as a very good NHL defender, though he really hit his stride as an elite player a few years later when he signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins.
All told, Chara has played 1,608 games over 23 seasons in the NHL. He captained the Bruins to the Stanely Cup in 2011 and won the Norris Trophy for the league’s top defenceman in 2009.
Most recently, Chara inked a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals, where he scored 10 points over 55 games while logging 18:19 per night. Though he’s 44 years old, Chara is an ageless wonder and there’s no doubt he still has enough in the tank to contribute with the Islanders.