The ball is in Zdeno Chara's court.

The Bruins captain is an unrestricted free agent for the first time since arriving in Boston, and general manager Don Sweeney is willing to let the defenseman take his time in making his decision for the 2020-21 season.

"We have communicated consistently with Zdeno and (agent) Matt Keator," Sweeney said, according to Boston Hockey Now's Joe Haggerty. "We're just waiting for him to initiate what he'd like to do moving forward. I feel very comfortable allowing (the decision-making process) to take the necessary time and let Zdeno make his own decisions along that route."

Chara's agent recently said his client is "looking at all options" in free agency, Haggerty adds.

The 43-year-old has spent the last 14 seasons in Boston, winning a Stanley Cup as captain in 2011. He proved to still be an effective top-four defenseman in 2019-20, averaging 21:01 per game while tallying five goals and nine assists.

After locking up defenseman Matt Grzelcyk on Saturday, the Bruins have $6.65 million in cap space remaining with only forward Jake DeBrusk left to re-sign.

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