Scott Stewart – USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins have had quite the offseason with numerous signings, trades and rumors surrounding the organization. Recently, rumors surfaced that star player Brad Marchand was on the trade block, but these now appear to be not true and quickly downplayed. Around the same time, word spread about the possible trade of Chris Kelly, and these rumors do not seem to be going away.
Kelly is rumored to have interest from several teams with whom Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has taken calls. It makes sense that Boston would be interested in a deal if a potential one was offered. Kelly has a $3 million salary this season, and it is a bit more than the Bruins would like to pay out for a mostly defensive-minded center. Thus, he has reportedly been shopped around the league as the Bruins try to find a good deal. However, at this time, it remains unclear which teams are reportedly interested.
It is unknown what the Bruins would do with the open center slot if Kelly leaves. They may have a target in mind in free agency, but is Kelly really worth the trouble of trying to ship him out? Probably not. I would only expect Kelly to go in a big player deal, hence the rumor linking him with Marchand. Chiarelli knows he has a bigger problem trying to solve the right side of the third line Kelly plays on. It would be surprising if he chose to create more problems for himself by trading away Kelly since the the Bruins are already under the salary cap, though just barely.
Tim N. is a Boston Bruins writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @timnikolou
