Chris Kelly Leaves Boston Bruins For Ottawa
It was announced earlier today the former Boston Bruins forward and unrestricted free agent Chris Kelly has decided to return to Ottawa. The 35-year old forward signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators worth $900.000. Kelly had played seven seasons with the Senators until he was grabbed by the Bruins at the trade deadline back in February, 2011.
Chris Kelly ended up being part of the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship team.
Kelly always seemed to be underappreciated in Boston. When he first joined the Black in Gold, Bruins fans were less than enthused about giving up a second round draft pick for a player who was slated to be a third-line center. It didn’t matter that Kelly had done his job while rarely making serious mistakes. His four-year contract had Boston media spewing vitriol and a lot of the fans got in on the act.
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A lot of Bruins fans harangued Kelly as being an overpaid forward (especially in his last season, where he was paid $3 million a year to be the Bruins fourth-line center). What many of them missed was how Kelly brought a lot to the table as a member of the Black and Gold.
Kelly was outstanding for the Bruins on special teams. He was one of the better Bruins to have on the ice when it came to the penalty kill. He played a clean, but physical game. He was a dependable person to have on the ice, and the Bruins organization rewarded him with an alternate captain’s position.
Kelly was an excellent player on the ice and a rather outstanding person off of it. Kelly was one of those players that was always extra nice to the second-tier media types (myself included). He was always willing to stay around for 15, 20, and sometimes a lot more minutes to answer questions. He seemed surprised when I told him my goal was to become the ‘Chris Kelly of Boston media’. He was so Canadian other Canadians noticed.
Brad Marchand already tweeted out his regret on Kelly’s departure.
In the end, Boston’s loss is Ottawa’s gain.
“We are excited to welcome Chris back to Ottawa,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion on the Kelly signing. “In our evaluation of our roster we felt that we needed to add another player with the ability to succeed in close situations and on the penalty kill. Chris will be able to contribute to both of those while adding another accomplished leader to our group. He understands the type of commitment that is necessary to play at a championship level.”
I wish nothing but the best for Chris Kelly who now returns home to finish out his NHL career. It’s a pity that so many people took him for granted in his time here in Boston.