While doing my daily perusal of Wells Report/Brady suspension coverage yesterday, I came across a Bruins quote that caught my eye.

"I don't understand why all of a sudden my age is an issue just because I got hurt and I missed a lot of games, a big chunk of the season,'' Zdeno Chara told the Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin. "I don't like it. I don't like when people start to judge you based on age or the amount of games you played.''

It was a quote that actually caused me to speak out loud to my newspaper.

What's not to understand?

I'm not criticizing the story -- it was a good quote. But is Chara serious? He doesn't understand why people are starting to question a 38-year-old defenseman who has played 1,336 games (including playoffs) spanning 17 NHL seasons and who has broken down in each of the last three years?

Bruins fans better hope their next general manager isn't as puzzled.

Yes, some of Chara's injuries were bone fractures that could happen to a player of any age (fibula this year; finger last year against Montreal). But the fact is that Chara hasn't finished a season in good shape since the B's won the Cup in 2011. He looked like toast against Montreal last year well before he hurt the finger. He fell apart against Chicago in the finals the year before along with partner Dennis Seidenberg. And this year was mostly a waste after suffering a knee injury in October.

So what do the B's do about it?

The first thing is simple -- get real. Chara was a Norris Trophy finalist as recently as 2014, but he's no longer a top-tier NHL defenseman. He may still be a Top 10 guy, but he's no longer in the Top 3. And unless your name is Tom Brady, you're not improving past your 35th birthday, never mind your 38th. It's debatable whether Chara is still a true franchise player, so stop treating him like one.

If teams call on Chara this year, pick up the phone. Hear what they have to say.

Please note: I'm not advocating trading him for a bag of pucks. What I'm saying, basically, is that if someone across the league wants to overpay, you should think long and hard about it.

I think the odds of that are unlikely, by the way. And that's because the rest of the league understands what Chara does not: Thirty-eight-year-old defensemen with three years left on a contract that will carry cap hits of $6.9 million in each of the next two years are not typically hot commodities. In fact, I think the odds are better that Chara will provide you more value with something approaching a comeback season than he would in a trade.

I know this sounds like a "trade Chara'' column, but it really not. It's more about being realistic. If another team wants to get stupid, sure, trade him. Otherwise, get him some help on the blue line, reduce his minutes and hope he finishes strong.

"I still feel very motivated, very confident that I'm going to be healthy and strong next season,'' Chara told the Globe. "I don't know. Obviously I am planning to play beyond what maybe people are guessing or expecting. My plans have always been to play in this league at a high level for a long time.

"Age is obviously a number, but some players or some people are meant to play for way beyond that.''

Who knows? Maybe Chara is, in fact, like Brady and will find a high level of health and success as he approaches 40. And if he does, I will have only one bit of advice for him:

Tell your equipment guys not to text.

E-mail Felger at mfelger@comcastsportsnet.com. Listen to Felger and Mazz daily on 98.5 FM from 2-6 p.m. The simulcast airs on Comcast SportsNet.