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| Ward locked up by Bruins |
| Defenseman signs 2-year, $5m deal |
| May 21, 2008 |
| Source: Fluto Shinzawa, Boston Globe Staff |
| 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. |