Ward locked up by Bruins
Defenseman signs 2-year, $5m deal
A week after re-signing restricted free agent Chuck Kobasew to a three-year extension, the Bruins locked up unrestricted free agent Aaron Ward, agreeing on a multiyear contract yesterday with the veteran stay-at-home defenseman.
According to an NHL source, Ward signed a two-year, $5 million contract. His annual cap hit will be $2.5 million.
The 35-year-old Ward, who would have hit the open market July 1, appeared in 65 games in 2007-08, collecting 5 goals and 8 assists. Two of his goals came in overtime against Philadelphia, and he also scored a last-minute strike in a 2-1 win over San Jose Oct. 13.
Ward averaged 20:44 of ice time per game, fourth on the team behind Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman, and Andrew Ference. He skated an average of 2:28 per match on the penalty kill, and also saw time on the No. 2 power-play unit (1:42 per game).
The defensive-minded Ward blocked a team-high 119 shots and threw 143 hits, trailing only Chara and Milan Lucic. His rough-and-tumble style put him at risk, as he missed a total of 17 games because of head, ankle, and foot injuries.
In the playoffs, Ward sat out the Bruins' 5-1 Game 5 win over Montreal because of a knee injury. For all but one of his six first-round appearances, Ward skated with Chara on the No. 1 defensive pairing. He recorded one assist in six games.
Ward, the second-oldest player on the team (Glen Murray is the senior member), was acquired Feb. 27, 2007, from the Rangers for Paul Mara. Ward is coming off a two-year, $5.5 million contract he signed with New York as a free agent in the summer of 2006. Ward, a 13-year veteran with 128 career points over 697 games, has won three Stanley Cups (two with Detroit, one with Carolina).
Glen Metropolit and Alex Auld are the Bruins' two remaining unsigned UFAs. Wideman, Mark Stuart, and Petteri Nokelainen are unsigned RFAs.
