Bruins Add Center Depth, Acquire Kelly

When Toronto came into town and defeated the Boston Bruins in stunning fashion last night, the cries of panic started to surface. Boston was already rumored to be in trade discussions with Brian Burke's Maple Leafs, but Peter Chiarelli announced a different acquisition following the B's defeat Tuesday night.

Boston sent a second-round draft selection to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for center Chris Kelly, seven-year veteran who has spent his entire career with the Sens. Chiarelli described Kelly as a great two-way player with playoff experience and faceoff expertise.

Initially, I was a little confused by the transaction. But ultimately, this is the first move -- the B's aren't done. I fully expect they will make a push for a puck-moving defenseman such as Thomas Kaberle or even 20-year old Thrashers defenseman Zach Bogosian, who is rumored to be going at a very steep price. Bogosian is a stud, but it would likely cost the Bruins the Toronto draft pick they own, Mark Stuart, and a younger NHL forward such as Blake Wheeler. With the acquisition of Kelly, there's certainly a possibility that the B's would put together a package like that. In fact, I'm almost expecting them to do so.

Where will Kelly play? Unless they intend to give Daniel Paille the boot and bump Tyler Seguin down to the fourth line, it's almost inevitable that Blake Wheeler is headed out of town. I'm not saying he definitely is, but I'm saying it seems like the most likely scenario. Assuming the Bruins aren't interested in demoting Kelly, Seguin, or Wheeler to the fourth unit, it would seem that Wheeler is a likely piece of trade bait to acquire the defenseman this club so desperately needs. The problem with the previously mentioned Bogosian, though, is that he will be seeking a hefty pay-raise once his rookie contract expires this offseason. Still, he's the type of blueliner you can build a franchise around -- thus the high price tag.

Regardless, Chris Kelly can bring a lot to this team. He resembles Patrice Bergeron in some ways, and he will definitely be an upgrade at the third-line center position. That isn't said as a knock on Tyler Seguin -- rather, Seguin simply has more to learn in the defensive aspects of the game as a centerman. Additionally, the rookie has been weak on faceoffs to the extent that Claude Julien often sends Bergeron out just to take the important faceoff for him. By acquiring Kelly, Boston's middle is set in stone -- no more jumbling. Bergeron, Krejci, Kelly, and Campbell are the four centers on this team. Period. Everyone else will acclimate themselves to their respective wings.

Hopefully it brings an all-around improvement in consistency to the team. Even though Blake Wheeler has looked reinvigorated of late, he's still not producing like the B's have always expected him to. If losing Wheeler is the key piece to acquiring a defenseman like Kaberle, Bogosian, or Keith Yandle, then it's probably a situation where Bruins fans can willingly bite the bullet. That type of defenseman may be the only thing holding this team back from the elite class.