Boston Bruins forward Chris Kelly has been with the team for the last six seasons. In his career, he’s become a dependable penalty killer, a strong voice in the locker room, and an alternate captain for the Black and Gold. Kelly’s contract was a source of contention for a lot of the fans here in Boston, and it’s the biggest reason he likely won’t be a part of the Bruins when he becomes a free agent on July 1.
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The 35-year old center isn’t considering retirement at this stage of the game. He’s hoping to stay in Boston. He understands the odds aren’t great of that happening though, and he’s prepared to look elsewhere if the Bruins aren’t ready to swallow another $3 million dollar contract to keep him.
“There are changes every year, regardless of if you win or you don’t. That’s just hockey. I love being a Bruin. We’ll see what happens. I have no idea what’s going to transpire the next little bit, but regardless I’d love to stay here,” said Kelly on the state of the team. “If that’s not the case, this place has been unbelievable to me and my family. I’ve been able to win a Cup, go to the Finals, win a President’s Trophy, and then not only on-ice experiences, but off-ice experiences, living in one of the best cities in the world and getting to experience that. It’s been extremely fun.”
There is virtually no chance of Kelly staying a member of the Bruins. He’s a 35-year old center coming off an injury that took him out of the lineup for most of the season. When he was playing, he was seeing mostly bottom-six time. At one point of the season, the fourth line combined was making less than he was. Sure, Kelly is a solid voice in the locker room, but the Bruins have plenty of those in the locker room now. It makes no sense for Don Sweeney to keep Kelly with the Bruins.
Don Sweeney made some ugly calls last year. He chose to use the first round draft picks rather than try to fix the problem on defense. When he tried to fix the problem, it was only at the trade deadline. John-Michael Liles was too inconsistent this season, and will likely not be around in September. The Bruins ended up getting nothing for Loui Eriksson. Keeping Kelly would just be yet another bad idea out of the B’s front office this season.
Last season, the Bruins allowed 2.78 goals per game. That’s 20th in the league. If the Bruins want to be serious about making the playoffs next season, they’ll need to work on fixing the blueline, and not wasting time and money on signing players who won’t be able to help the Bruins move forward.