Marc Savard will be 39 years old when his seven-year, $28.05 million comes to a close, virtually assuring that he will conclude his NHL career as a Bruin.

"I stated in a couple articles earlier that I wanted to stay in Boston for the rest of my career," Savard said. "Looks like I'm going to have that chance. So I'm happy about that. Over the last few years, I've watched this town grow back into a hockey town. Hopefully our goal as a team and a staff comes true that we can bring a Cup here to Boston."

* Savard could have earned a more substantial contract if he hit the open market. But Savard said his first choice was to remain in Boston and never really considered deals with other clubs.

* GM Peter Chiarelli said he was comfortable in giving Savard a long-term extension because of how familiar he is with the center and how he's developed as a two-way player. Chiarelli mentioned intangibles such as competitiveness, strength on the draw, penalty-killing improvement, and willingness to shoot as parts of Savard's game that have grown.

* Chiarelli saluted Savard for accepting a lower cap number ($4.007 million annually), which will give the Bruins greater flexibility in rounding out the roster.

* Chiarelli said in the new cap system, he's changed his philosophy to be willing to consider extensions prior to contract conclusions. Chiarelli wouldn't comment on specific players, but it's a good bet that Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron could be extended before their current deals expire after 2010-11.