Chris Kelly

[member 96824]

Here's a thought: in an effort to move Kelly, would you package Spooner in the deal as well to get back Sobotka and something else ( draft pick )?

Sobotka would be perfect as the third line center who can bring the two way game the Bruins covet as well as the hard working, gritty style of play. He's also been absolute money on the dot: 64 percent and has taken the second most amount of faceoffs for the Blues while on pace for a 40 point season.

No.

Give up Kelly and Spooner for Sobotka. What happens when he walks at the end of the year...

We need to let the wind take the sails on the boat that is Sobotka. Ryder can be captain if he wants.

 

[DoubleAAAA]

I've chimed in with my Kelly support on here often, but last night he was the goat on 2 goals. Doesn't change my opinion of him, but he certainly had a rough game.

 

[PB37]

No.

Give up Kelly and Spooner for Sobotka. What happens when he walks at the end of the year...

We need to let the wind take the sails on the boat that is Sobotka. Ryder can be captain if he wants.

He's an RFA, not UFA.

 

[member 96824]

He's an RFA, not UFA.

Whoops...still not interested though. I liked Sobotka as a player here, but he's a grittier version of Kelly...still not what the 3rd line needs in my opinion.

Plus...the Blues don't want to deal him, and he doesn't want to be in Boston.

 

[bp13]

I was suggesting moving Campbell and bumping Kelly down to his line, but I'm fine if they could find a trade partner for Kelly and kept Campbell. Either way, I think there's a solution to be had in there somewhere, and one that doesn't keep a guy like Spooner (or more importantly, the 3rd line) down offensively because you can't be creative with bottom of the roster type of players. This situation is why overpaying guys like Campbell and Kelly (NTC too, which really blows) is such a bad move.

I'll cede the NTC's seem over the top when coupled with the very "favorable" salaries, but the notion of overpaid is subjective. When the Bruins place a higher premium on leadership, 3 zone play and coachability, etc., they have a greater need to retain those types of players. Just like a team like Montreal would wither and die if they couldn't find crafty, speedy skill guys to play their style. So I can see paying more than the objective fan would think is market value for a guy of that ilk. I do wonder though why they had to include a NTC and pay the high numbers. Ultimately, I bet they don't think the NTC matters all that much as most players with NTC's, when approached, would waive to move.

 

[Minny Shinny]

So comparing Kelly of this year to last year is what your baseline is? That's your problem. Last year he was so bad, I don't know how they didn't use the compliance buyout option on him this summer, tbh. So saying he's looked better is hilarious to me, since there was nowhere to go but up. That being said, is he looking more like Kelly of old, or just better than the bag of suck he was last season? I see it as being slightly better than last year, but not worthy of a spot on the third line.

No, my baseline isn't last year and I didn't state as much in that post. I said he looks markedly better than he did last year. He had nowhere to go but up? No, not really. He could've continued to suck (that I readily admitted last year) and he's not this year. That was my supposition. Reading anything else into that is of your doing, not mine. Do I believe he's closer to playing to his 2011 levels? Yes. I explained how based on what I've seen. I see the initial burst of speed that is reminiscent of his 2011 play, I see him playing the body better and creating space in front of the net for his more offensively talented wingers which is more reminiscent of his 2011 play, whereas last year he was sorely lacking in the physical component of his game. You missed it in my edit, but as I've described to you concretely what I've seen that indicates Kelly is playing well, I'd ask that you define concretely what it is you're seeing that leads you to your opinion that he's not worthy of a spot on the third line.

It's amusing to me that you go so far out of your way to defend Kelly and continually blame his line mates from last year. The reason they constantly shuffled line mates on that line last year was because he was so colossally bad, that they needed to. And no matter who went down there, he played lousy hockey.

As stated above, the 'continually defending Kelly' thing is amusing as again, I had no problem then and have no problem now stating that he was bad last year. Bad. Stinkpot. You're being a tad prone to hyperbole with these statement though. Are crappy linemates the sole reason the third line unit struggled last year? Nope. I never said that. Are you going to sit here and tell me that Jay Pandolfo and Chris Bourque were serviceable NHL players last year?

Let me ask you this. Do you see the chemistry Soda and Smith have right now? Now ask yourself if Kelly is doing anything to help or improve that offense? To me the answer is more than obvious. Spooner may come in and flame out, but I've seen more than enough of Kelly and his sub par play the last two seasons to want to see someone else get a shot. The whole concept of scoring by committee only works if there are three lines that can score. Right now, they're down a line.

I'm going to assume you asking me about the chemistry between Smith and Soderberg is a rhetorical question. Now, the answer to the real question, the answer is obvious and I've stated it at least 2-3 times in this thread (and probably the Smith and Soderberg threads as well). When two young wingers, both new to the system, come in and have an immediate impact one should absoutely laud them for their efforts. Both appear to be on their way to productive careers in this league. Do I see Kelly holding the center ice positioning in order to give the wings some room in order to maneuver in the offensive zone? Yep. Do I see Kelly creating space in front of the crease to provide wider shooting lanes? Yep. Do I see the coaching staff saying those very things? Yep. Do I see the wingers themselves saying those things about their play as a line? Yep. To say that Kelly has nothing at all to do with their success is shortsighted, IMO, and serving to reinforce already-held beliefs about a player based on past performance.

That's what I see. Is it the immediately recognizable passes/assists that a more talented offensive player contributes to the offensive scheme? No. Is offense the only way to contribute to a successful offensive outcome? No. Can solid offensive opportunities be born of good defensive plays? Yep.

This team does that a lot and has over the last 3-4 years of it's success. This third line, as currently construed, has demonstrated exactly that in the last two weeks.

Anyhow, I need to actually do something non-hockey discussion related with the day, so I'm begging out for a bit. I'll take all comers later today.

 

[Minny Shinny]

I've chimed in with my Kelly support on here often, but last night he was the goat on 2 goals. Doesn't change my opinion of him, but he certainly had a rough game.

Yep. Terrible game. Zero question about that.

Take him out back and shoot him behind the barn kinda bad? Nope.

Bad enough to enough to earn the criticism? Absolutely.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

yeah standing there like a dope while crosby sets up camp in the crease with 5 seconds left in regulation was pretty unacceptable. I hope Claude really gave it to him after that.

 

[member 96824]

Yep. Terrible game. Zero question about that.

Take him out back and shoot him behind the barn kinda bad? Nope.

Bad enough to enough to earn the criticism? Absolutely.

What are the cap implications of taking him out back and shooting him?

 

[LSCII]

What are the cap implications of taking him out back and shooting him?

All positive? You know, addition by subtraction...

 

[LouisSleigher]

Some of the anti-Kelly sentiment is a bit over the top, but I do worry that his play has slipped and he's no longer the player he once was.

Kelly in Ottawa and two years ago for us was basically a 0.5 points, 1.5 shots per game player, but the last two years he has been consistently more like 0.3 points, 0.9 shots.

 

[MTaylorJ1]

Some of the anti-Kelly sentiment is a bit over the top, but I do worry that his play has slipped and he's no longer the player he once was.

Kelly in Ottawa and two years ago for us was basically a 0.5 points, 1.5 shots per game player, but the last two years he has been consistently more like 0.3 points, 0.9 shots.

Interesting because despite the assertions that he's been much better this year, his production 0.29 ppg/0.9 shots per game isn't really different than last year 0.26 ppg/1.2 shots per game. Despite having much more offensively inclined linemates.

 

[ksp1957]

Interesting because despite the assertions that he's been much better this year, his production 0.29 ppg/0.9 shots per game isn't really different than last year 0.26 ppg/1.2 shots per game. Despite having much more offensively inclined linemates.

He has slipped quite a bit. The Bruins are paying too much for what we're getting out of Chris Kelly, but we're probably stuck with him. That contract, given the level of play, is pretty much unmovable.

STILL can't believe he was in the shootout at all.

 

[qc]

Yep. Terrible game. Zero question about that.

Take him out back and shoot him behind the barn kinda bad? Nope.

Bad enough to enough to earn the criticism? Absolutely.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Son of Donegal]

Faceoffs.

 

[LSCII]

Faceoffs.

Are you trying to say he's invaluable at the dot? If so, he's actually the lowest rated out of PB, DK, and himself. 59.5% is PB, next comes DK with 52.4, and Chris "money suck" Kelly brings up the rear with 48.9.

 

[Mainehockey33]

I use to wonder why Kelly took faceoffs over Peverley because it seemed Pevs was always better at the dot

Faceoffs.

If that's the new argument for keeping Kelly around it's a pretty weak one. Kelly isn't the only one who can take faceoffs and there are many players that are better than him.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Are you trying to say he's invaluable at the dot? If so, he's actually the lowest rated out of PB, DK, and himself. 59.5% is PB, next comes DK with 52.4, and Chris "money suck" Kelly brings up the rear with 48.9.

I don't understand what happened to this team's faceoffs this year. They are always one of if not the best team in the league at them. I get that losing Peverley really hurts, but everyone outside of Bergeron really needs to pick it up.

I also understand that Kelly and Krejci overachieved in the faceoff circle last year, but this drastic of a dropoff is unacceptable.

52.4% is still a solid percentage, but the thing with Krejci is that he pretty much gives you all or nothing in the dot; he either cleans the opposing team out, or gets destroyed, meaning he's way too dependent on relying on weaker matchups. Some more consistency would be nice.

Kelly being that low is simply unacceptable. He's especially important because he's the only left-handed faceoff guy we can go to now that Campbell is this unreliable on faceoffs.

9th in the league doesn't look bad, but Bergeron is single-handedly responsible for bringing them up 14 spots.

I use to wonder why Kelly took faceoffs over Peverley because it seemed Pevs was always better at the dot

Left-handed vs. right-handed. CJ is pretty anal about that in the d-zone especially. As for faceoffs in the neutral zone or whatever, Peverley is a better fit on the wing than Kelly is.

 

[BergyWho37]

Would love to see this, but I think we all realize that Kelly is Julien's binky and he's not going to ever do this. It's too bad though, as that line would benefit tremendously from not having Kelly on it.

exactly right bro... Add Kelly as a guy that can do nothing wrong in Claude's eyes.

Love Claude but certain favouritism over the years have me grinding my teeth ....roll players are a dime a dozen, sure some are better then others but NEVER punished on this team.

I truly believe Claude only wants these type of players on his team and by doing this we get boring games from a fans prospective cause nobody's thinking offence and the bruins are not always skating fast enough to create offence by accident ....Yes our record is great and I'm not saying we're brutal but we need to recognized that Tuukka is a HUGE reason why our record is that good

 

[Son of Donegal]

Are you trying to say he's invaluable at the dot? If so, he's actually the lowest rated out of PB, DK, and himself. 59.5% is PB, next comes DK with 52.4, and Chris "money suck" Kelly brings up the rear with 48.9.

It's hilarious. Compared to Bergeron (3rd in the league) and Krejci (30th in the league) Chris Kelly just doesn't match up (64th). For a 3rd line center, it's a strong percentage. He's ahead of guys like Backstrom, Giroux, E. Staal, Stamkos, Tavares...and Seguin (who is in dead last with a paltry 37.9%!

Not saying he's invaluable...but he is a very useful tool, especially when you see how Claude has used him a support to Bergy and Campbell on defensive zone face-offs.

Kelly is overpaid and probably untradeable. He's not going anywhere. So, why not enjoy the things he is doing for the team while he is here?? BTW he is pretty close to on pace for his average offensive output over the course of his career...so not sure why his production so far is a surprise to anyone.

 

[Son of Donegal]

Since when are the Bruins weak in the dot? They are ranked 9th in the NHL but the difference between 5th and 9th is .7%

Is it really worth all the whining?

 

[LSCII]

exactly right bro... Add Kelly as a guy that can do nothing wrong in Claude's eyes.

Love Claude but certain favouritism over the years have me grinding my teeth ....roll players are a dime a dozen, sure some are better then others but NEVER punished on this team.

I truly believe Claude only wants these type of players on his team and by doing this we get boring games from a fans prospective cause nobody's thinking offence and the bruins are not always skating fast enough to create offence by accident ....Yes our record is great and I'm not saying we're brutal but we need to recognized that Tuukka is a HUGE reason why our record is that good

Yep, Tuukka is a huge key to their success. I also think the defense scoring at a ridiculous rate is masking the issue of Kelly's lack of offense on the third line. Once the defense stops scoring at that rate, some people are really going to be surprised to see how large an impact not having 3 lines that can contribute regularly is. Kelly is the main reason that line isn't producing, no matter how loud his apologists want to scream.

 

[Minny Shinny]

Yep, Tuukka is a huge key to their success. I also think the defense scoring at a ridiculous rate is masking the issue of Kelly's lack of offense on the third line. Once the defense stops scoring at that rate, some people are really going to be surprised to see how large an impact not having 3 lines that can contribute regularly is. Kelly is the main reason that line isn't producing, no matter how loud his apologists want to scream.

I'm going to put these back here because it appears as though you've missed it despite a few visits to this thread.

You missed it in my edit, but as I've described to you concretely what I've seen that indicates Kelly is playing well, I'd ask that you define concretely what it is you're seeing that leads you to your opinion that he's not worthy of a spot on the third line.

.......

Are you going to sit here and tell me that Jay Pandolfo and Chris Bourque were serviceable NHL players last year?

...and now can apparently add another question...what is it that you claim you see that leads you to believe that Kelly is the reason that line isn't producing? (which is sort of funny because that line IS producing...so not sure what people are expecting.)

 

[Artemis]

Yep, Tuukka is a huge key to their success. I also think the defense scoring at a ridiculous rate is masking the issue of Kelly's lack of offense on the third line. Once the defense stops scoring at that rate, some people are really going to be surprised to see how large an impact not having 3 lines that can contribute regularly is. Kelly is the main reason that line isn't producing, no matter how loud his apologists want to scream.

Wait, what? The Soderberg-Kelly-Smith line isn't producing?

I mean, I realize Kelly is the current whipping boy, but that's simply false.

 

[qc]

I truly believe Claude only wants these type of players on his team and by doing this we get boring games from a fans prospective cause nobody's thinking offence and the bruins are not always skating fast enough to create offence by accident ....Yes our record is great and I'm not saying we're brutal but we need to recognized that Tuukka is a HUGE reason why our record is that good

You're spoiled if you think these games are boring, and it's silly to blame Claude's system. Some of the most exciting and entertaining Bruins games I've ever seen have occurred over the past few years, with Claude behind the bench.

As far as not generating offense, I disagree with you (when it comes our current team). We're ranked 10th in the league for goals per game and we're ranked 1st for goals against per game. I'll take that.