Zdeno Chara To Break NHL Record With New York Islanders

Once Zdeno Chara plays his first regular season game with the New York Islanders this year, he will break a record. According to Sportradar, the 44-year-old defenseman will have the longest gap between his first and second tenure with an NHL team.

Chara last played for the Islanders at the end of the 2000-01 season before being traded to the Ottawa Senators in the infamous Alexei Yashin deal. Therefore, it's been over 20 years since the last time he rocked an Islanders jersey. Brendan Shanahan held the previous record at 17 years and 294 days between stints with the New Jersey Devils. Randy Cunneyworth with the Buffalo Sabres was second with 16 years and 325 days.

Per @Sportradar, when Zdeno Chara makes his 2021-22 season debut with #Isles, he will become the first player in #NHL history to go 20+ years between games with one franchise. Next-longest, in years-days: Brendan Shanahan (NJ, 17-294) & Randy Cunneyworth (BUF, 16-325). #NHLStats
— Darin Stephens (@SharksStats) September 18, 2021

Chara signed with the Islanders yesterday and should be a nice addition to their bottom-six. With the departure of Nick Leddy, a signing of some kind to the left side was needed. Although Chara will not provide the same offense as Leddy, he does come with a ton of experience. This aspect about him should come in handy, as the Islanders could benefit from another veteran who has a Stanley Cup on their resume.

If Chara stays healthy and is a mainstay in their lineup, he also will pass Chris Chelios for the most career games ever played by an NHL defenseman.