Sens Continue Re-Build And Move Kelly To The Bruins

To Boston Bruins:
Chris Kelly

To Ottawa Senators:
2nd Round Draft Pick in 2011 (Boston)





Review:
This deal was a bit surprising to me in the fact that the Bruins seem to have many players already on the club that play a similar style to Kelly. Although they have a lot of the bottom 6, heart and soul type players already, it must be noted that Kelly is one of the best players in that particular role.  The speedy Chris Kelly, is all character and he can be looked at to lead a team through a full 60 minutes. Not only does he provide a consistent energy on the ice but he is good on the PK which is helpful on any team. In Ottawa he was a fan favorite and by all accounts it should carry over in Boston as well. Although he will definitely be a positive addition to the Bruins line-up, one has to question the fact that the Bruins are taking on a guy that's cap hit will be $2.125 million and will likely take the role of a bottom 6 forward. Now lets take a look at this from a Senators perspective. It looks as though this Ottawa club is going to be put through an all-out, tear it to the ground re-build. Now I personally believe that this is long over-due but you have to commend Bryan Murray on stockpiling so many draft picks in just the past few weeks. The Sens lose a guy in Kelly that was really the heart and soul of the locker room and a favorite among the fans but they gain a draft pick probably in the range of 55th overall to 60th overall. For a re-building team its something that will help their organization achieve the overall building up process at a much quicker rate. 


Winner Short-Term: Boston Bruins, they get a player that will provide the team with a bit more energy and all around leadership. As a team that is aiming for winning the Stanley Cup, you can never have too many of those types of players.


Winner Long-Term: Ottawa Senators, although Kelly is only 30 and will probably have a few good years left, the Sens come out with another top-60 pick in this years draft which will be very valuable to the team's re-building process.