Senators for Sale: Chris Kelly
by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 2, 2011 10:01 AM EST
in Analysis
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Contract Status
$2.125M through next season (2011-12)
Pros
Chris Kelly is a very strong depth player. Much of his career has been on the third line, but he is someone who's able to fill in for top-six forwards ably, even if he won't knock your socks off. On a Senators team with monstrous offensive struggles, Kelly is actually on pace to set a career-high in goals and approach a career-high in points. He's ridiculously consistent, almost to the point of clockwork, and will never be a defensive liability on your team. He's also an elite penalty killer.
Cons
Difficult to think of one, aside from perhaps his cap hit, although it shouldn't be a dealbreaker.
Trade Value
High. The fact that Kelly's actually having a good season on a team full of mostly disastrous ones will make teams interested in him. With few teams looking to shake up their core while gearing up for a playoff run, Chris Kelly is the perfect fit: Experience, an ability to play a two-way game, good playoff numbers, and still young. Acquiring him wouldn't be a rental, he would be an asset most teams would be happy to keep within their organization.
Trade Likelihood
Marginal. Which is odd, because if I were on a team gearing up for a playoff spot, Kelly is one of the guys I would target first. Reducing the likelihood, though, is that Kelly is mostly under the radar here, and hasn't popped up in any rumours (although that might mean him being traded is more likely). Still, as a solid leader and a perfect team-first player, the Senators wouldn't mind keeping him around, so they won't be selling him for "best offer"--there will be an asking price, and it won't be peanuts.
Chris Kelly would fit in tremendously well on the Detroit Red Wings, in my opinion, but other potential destinations could include the Tampa Bay Lightning (they could use a third-line centreman), Washington Capitals (a shutdown centre to free up Brooks Laich for more offensive minutes), Montreal Canadiens (a reunion with Jacques Martin), Anaheim Ducks (some much-needed depth at centre), and Colorado Avalanche (for experience, depth, and defensive aptitude down the middle).
Realistic Return
At least a second-round pick, considering the going rate for Dominic Moore is a second-round pick and that Kelly is a better player than Moore offensively and defensively, so that would have to be the starting point for negotiations. It wouldn't likely get as high as a first-round pick, but a second-rounder and a decent forward prospect wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. As the draft pick gets lower (into the third or fourth rounds), the prospect would need to get that much better.
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Keep Kelly
I just think he is the type of guy you want on this team as you build (rebuild)
Chris Kelly
No way I trade Kelly! Mike Fisher is the one UNDERPERFORMING, has the higher cap hit, and would fetch a better return. Deal #12 and give the A to the always deserving #22! Time for a culture change and Kelly brings it night in and night out!
Uh, the underperforming, more expensive player is going to fetch a better return?
I don’t follow this logic at all.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
Yup, hard to argue with keeping him.
He is what he is and every team needs that type of player. He is smart and as stated earlier, extremely consistent. He would be a player I would direct young players to study and learn from on and off the ice. I would say that if he were traded it would have to be a high second, a couple of thirds and a prospect as a starting point. I think he is truly that valuable. I would even go as far as to say that he is under paid slightly.
GO SENS GO GO TEXANS GO
I think you're expecting too much for what amounts to an ideal third line center
I would be thrilled with getting a second for Kelly, but I doubt we’d get more than that. If we really got an offer that high, we should take it.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
I am not really sure I would accept just a 2nd rounder for Kelly
While obviously not a star, a second round pick is much more likely to turn out to be worse than Kelly than be better than him.
I realise the better performers are the ones who would fetch a greater return, but we don’t have to trade our players just for the sake of it.
I would not trade Kelly unless we get a 1st rounder, or a 2nd rounder along with a couple more lower draft picks. We are unlikely to get that, so I wouldn’t trade him.
Trying to be Erik Karlsson's agent since October, 2010.
You're drinking drano, dude
Kelly will never be worth a first round pick or multiple lower ones. He’s a role player.
I think your asking price is completely unrealistic. Kelly would walk after next year if you were GM and you’d have nothing to show for it.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
I know, I did say we won't get it
But I would rather have Kelly than a 2nd round pick. While I think it is silly to trade away our picks, collecting picks is not something I would want. We have a solid player in Kelly who is likely going to be better than a 2nd rounder ever will be.
We have to keep the players performing well, unless we get an offer we can’t refuse. A second rounder is something we can refuse in my opinion.
Trying to be Erik Karlsson's agent since October, 2010.
OK, but what's the point in setting a price you know you won't get?
Kelly isn’t someone teams will be falling over themselves to get. No one is going to overpay for a guy like him, they’ll just trade for someone else with similar skills for a more reasonable price. They’re not going to go, “Well, we won’t do a 1st and prospect, but would you take just a 1st?”
You’re also making a massive assumption on how an unknown future player will turn out, especially considering Kelly is a third round pick himself.
I also don’t understand keeping the players performing well. I mean, are you proposing we dump all our shitty guys for good prospects and keep all of our talent? I’m sure other GMs will be glad to help with that.
The team is rebuilding, and the ONLY desirable asset for a rebuilding team is young talent, either bodies or picks. The only way to get more of those is by trading away players other teams can use. How could a good third line center one year away from unrestricted free agency be more valuable to a team in need of young talent than a 2nd round draft pick? What is Chris Kelly going to do for this team (assuming he doesn’t depart next year for nothing) in three or four years? Aside from defensemen and a goalie, Ottawa’s farm system is filled with guys who are destined for third and fourth line roles. As much as I like him, he’s replaceable, and should be traded if a reasonable offer is made. Keeping a player whose value will be reduced when the team emerges from rebuilding at some point in the future when trading him will return an asset that might have increased value over that timespan is totally irrational.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
“The team is rebuilding, and the ONLY desirable asset for a rebuilding team is young talent, either bodies or picks.”
I don’t agree with this statement. A rebuilding team needs a few veteran leaders otherwise the prospects have no one to follow and they don’t learn to play the right way. Kelly is exactly the kind of guy who would be both an ideal role model and a guy who can play with a couple younger guys on his wings and not make them look bad.
I would trade him if the return was good, but I don’t think there is any rush to push him out the door. He could fill a useful role in the future and do it better than the O’Briens and Daugavins who might be coming.
I'm not in a rush to push him out the door
But I’m also not in a rush to botch a rebuild because we love our bottom 6 guys.
Kelly may be ideal but there’s no difference between his experience and Winchester’s four years from now except that Kelly will 34 and on the downside of his career and Winch will be in his prime. And that’s assuming Kelly even stays beyond next year.
The team will have other veteran players… there’s nothing special about Kelly’s experience.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
The point is that we're in no hurry with Kelly
There’s no sense settling for the best offer right now when we’ve still got another year of great play from Kelly. If we decide after next season that he’s not in the future plans of the team, we can trade him at the deadline then; a team that wants Kelly this year will really have to want him if the Sens are going to dump him.
I look at it this way: Kelly will almost definitely be better than whoever they draft with a second- or third-rounder they get for him, and will probably be better than that player even a few years from now. So there’s no harm in setting the asking price (reasonably) high and waiting for bidders to come to you.
An Ottawa Senators fan blogging at www.silversevensens.com
by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 2, 2011 2:21 PM EST up reply actions
I agree
There’s nothing wrong with setting the price reasonably high, but a 1st round pick or a 2nd and a couple lower ones is unreasonable for any third line player.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
totally agree with this.
This is exactly what i was thinking. At this point in our rebuild, Kelly can move up and down the depth chart as needed and i think he’s probably more reasonable to look at trading next year than this.
I would sooner see how strong our potential role players like Winch and Smith are before we unload a sure thing like Kelly for a 2nd rounder.
Also, i don’t put much in the fact he hasnt shown up on rumour sites. I give GMs more credit to know what they’re looking for than trade speculating bloggers – including the good ones. I would think there are GMs out there that would be stupid not to be looking at him.
We just have a different philosophy then
I am not sure we have to dump the good players for picks. We seem God awful right now, but we are not that bad, we were only a game under .500 when Spezza got hurt. Don’t get me wrong, we have issues that we need to fix, but we don’t need to trade away a solid player for a 2nd rounder.
Kelly has had 10+ goals in every season of his career. I don’t think the average 2nd rounder would do that. Also, yes I am proposing we dump all our crappy guys and keep our talent. But the key here is, I am not saying trading Kovalev or Phillips will fix our problems. I am saying we can get rid of them and then use the 2nd or 3rd rounders we get, plus our own picks to draft them. Plus, we have tons of cap room that we can use in many ways.
We could make a big splash, or we can sign 2 or 3 solid young guys for 3-4 million, or we could use that cap room to make trades to offer cap relief to another team (I think someone mentioned this previously too).
If we had no talent in our system, I could understand wanting to trade away a 3rd line centre for a 2nd rounder. But we have Spezza, Karlsson, Michalek (I still think he can be a good 60 pointer), plus Lehner, Rundblad and Cowen coming up.
We have the pieces there to build around if do this smartly, and I am not sure if adding a 2nd rounder for Kelly would change much.
Trying to be Erik Karlsson's agent since October, 2010.
I agree in principle
But I don’t see Kelly as an integral part of a rebuild. I guess where we disagree is on how far away the team is. There’s no way the few draft picks we get at the deadline are all that’s needed to be competitive again. This team needs a lot of pieces, and if Kelly helps them get one, he should be traded — for a reasonable return. I’m not saying we should dump him for a 7th, just that we should recognize trading him can help us rebuild if the opportunity is right. We’d be shooting ourselves in the foot to sabotage that opportunity by overpricing our few tradeable assets.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
I guess the major question is, do the Ottawa Senators see Kelly as an integral part of a team – several years down the road – that can take a run at the cup? I’d say no. Like Mark said, he’ll be nearing his mid 30’s and trending down. So, if it turns out the organization doesn’t see him as a key part of the future, then he should be moved for the best asset they can get, ie. a 2nd round pick. Besides, Z. Smith and Winchester are 2/3’s of our super-awesome checking line of the future.
The asking price should be high.
My whole point of asking for what I said was that as Adnan said if we were to trade him it should be for alot. A second , couple of thirds and a prospect. Do I think another GM would give us that, hell no. Kelly is not worth trading as it would be hard to replace him and his experience.
GO SENS GO GO TEXANS GO
What is the point of setting a price that won't be met?
He and his experience are not hard to replace. We’re talking about a third line center here.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
So that the only way he is traded, it will be for something we can't refuse.
I am basically saying that I want to keep him and the only way I would trade him is if it were for something unbelievable.
GO SENS GO GO TEXANS GO
I see.
I think you are overvaluing him. A lot.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
I think the disagreement here is in your definitions
No team will offer a second, two thirds, and a prospect for Kelly—it’s just not reasonable.
But what qualifies in Murray’s books as an offer he can’t refuse would likely be much less. If the offer is a second and a decent prospect, or a second and a third, then Murray would have to give the offer a lot of thought before making his decision.
An Ottawa Senators fan blogging at www.silversevensens.com
by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 2, 2011 2:24 PM EST up reply actions
I think we should trade players that are more "high profile"
Players like Kovalev and Phillips will get us a better return than Kelly. Even though Kelly has had a better season, Kovalev is going to be very low-risk, high reward. He’ll either give you an additional scoring threat in the playoffs, especially on the power play, or he will be terrible and then you can let him go at the end of the season.
Same with Phillips, even though he’s had a brutal year, he’s had a reputation as a solid shutdown guy and some teams might still think he could be a solid defensive presence on a good team (which he might be) and give us a good return.
Trying to be Erik Karlsson's agent since October, 2010.
GMs are rarely fooled by high profiles
Kovalev and Phillips are getting the most coverage right now because the media and fans know their names. But often times, it’s the players who are under the radar who get traded. GMs haven’t gotten to where they are by trading for reputation; they need to trade for reality.
(There are exceptions, of course, but winning teams rarely make mistakes like that.)
An Ottawa Senators fan blogging at www.silversevensens.com
by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 2, 2011 2:34 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with that
I just don’t think our options begin and end with those guys. We’re doing ourselves a disservice if we don’t objectively evaluate every option.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
Pretty much
If Murray got an offer similar to what he got for Vermette, he should say thank you and take it. If he’s not getting more than a 3rd, there’s no reason to rush to make a trade just for trading’s sake.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
I would not trade Kelly.
He has always been reliable and a team-first player. The only reason it’s taken a while to appreciate him is because he had been overshadowed. It’s seasons like this that truly make you appreciate the kind of player/teammate he is.
by Los Blancos Chicca on Feb 2, 2011 10:48 AM EST reply actions
I would, if the price were right.
I was not a Kelly fan up until last year. As a fourth liner, I felt he was too expensive, and I didn’t think he could be an adequate third line player. However, last season and this season have proven my beliefs wrong — which is ironically what gives him any trade value.
Still, if the Sens are going to rebuild, they have to do it by maximizing their assets, and a high end third line center cannot be a priority for a rebuilding team. Kelly’s contact status means he’s more likely to be traded next year, but he won’t be a Senator for too much longer either way. There will be a market for him if he makes it to free agency. He’s in his prime now, but won’t be when the team is winning again. I would hate to see him go, but he’s one of our more tradeable assets. It would be silly for any GM to ignore those facts.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
If the price is right or an offer that can't be refused comes along, I would as well.
But other than that, no I wouldn’t. I was a late fan of Kelly’s too and that is because like I mentioned he was over shadowed. If his finishing was better, I think he wouldn’t even have been on the 4th line.
What I really like about him is that he is making the best out of any role the coach puts him in and consistently too. Yes you do need to maximize your assets, but I think someone like that is very important on a rebuilding team. He will do his best whether it be on the 4th, 3rd, or 2nd line.
by Los Blancos Chicca on Feb 2, 2011 11:23 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, he's an ideal role player, which should make him appealing to playoff teams
I sure wouldn’t dump him just to dump him. But if the right offer came along, the team would be nuts not to take it.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
MP, I think we all agree that we would trade Kelly for the right offer. It just seems you are willing to accept to sell him a lot more cheaply than some people around here. Perhaps you are being realistic or maybe you are willing to sell low. Hard to say…
Props to MP
Let me chime in here – Mark’s on the right page – a second rounder for Kelly is fair. If multiple teams bid on him, Sens might get 2nd rounder + a prospect or late (6/7th) round pick.
DW19 and SensGuy1 – I get the impression you guys are of the “hold on to our talent” philosophy. You need to realize the temporal nature of team building, as MP and Be_rad point out – by the time we’re a winning team again, Kelly has lost a step. Also, during our rebuilding period, he occupies a position that some of our prospects (e.g. Winchester) might fill (+ trickledown), effectively stifling their upward mobility which is what you want to happen when you rebuild.
Everyone agrees we want a good return on good players on the team, but your idea that Kelly fills the “key veteran to learn from” role is a stretch. That’s Alfie’s job (along with 2nd then 3rd then 4th line RW as time passes) until he retires. Those “veteran” key guys need to be former all-stars like a Modano, Tkachuk, Guerin, etc. not a 3rd liner. These are guys that can elevate their play when they get a cortisone shot or hit the advil extra hard before a playoff game.
Sens need to dump most everyone. Murray has stated Alfie and Karlsson stay. I agree with Adnan that Michalek can be a better player for Ottawa (his knee is just getting back to form) and should stay. I happen to think the same of Gonch. Everyone wants Kovy to go (probably including him, given it’ll get him to the playoffs) and that should happen. Philips should go, and we should try to sign a faster & better shutdown UFA (e.g. Weber?). Finally, we need to get rid of the injury problem that is Leclaire. G is one place where you just can’t have your #1 guy in and out all the time. Lehner is looking good but maybe we get a fill in guy like an Osgood until Lehner is ready to start full time in the big leagues.
If you’ve every played a fantasy hockey pool, or any trading game, you know it’s hard to trade up. Trade deadline makes guys value go up and Murray needs to take advantage of that to free up some room for prospects. Maybe also take on a bad contract for a premier guy (like Briere’s seemed back in 07, although based on Phili’s success in the last couple years this isn’t feasible any more).
Finally, keep in mind that if we ship Kelly, we’ve got an ideal 3rd line center for a winning team already – Mike Fisher!
Winchester
I know your kidding about putting Fisher on the third line or not if you think that’s his skill level but Winchester would be an ideal replacement for Kelly. He’s already seen some PK time and is fast and very good in the face-off circle which is important on the PK. Winchester needs another year for that role and Kelly would be a great role model for him to learn from.
by Hockey Playoff Run SensFan on Feb 2, 2011 5:58 PM EST up reply actions
No joke!
If Sens rebuilt and had the talent to win the cup, Fisher would be ideal as the 3rd line C. Like you say he’s fine as 2nd line guy on the current team, just that his intensity and 2-way game along with better-than-average (for 3rd line) offense would make him solid in that spot on a Stanley cup winning team. I’m not sure he’s the best 2nd line center in the league (e.g. compared to Richards/Ribeiro in Dallas or Pavelski in SJ).
Agree Winch might need some time to grow into 3rd line C role, but I figure if there’s a rebuild probably doesn’t matter if he’s shaky for a year or so. I guess I’m not sure how much of a difference it makes whether he learns under Kelly’s tutelage or not – for example, does the stuff he learns watching Kelly on the PK offset the hands-on experience he’d get if it were him getting the PK time?
I am just trying to be realistic... and objective
I love me some Kelly, and I would be sad to lose him, like I was with Vermette — even though that got us Lehner. I would be thrilled to get a 1st for Kelly, but that’s not what third liners go for in the NHL. I just don’t see how pricing him as untouchable helps the rebuilding effort, I guess.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
We are all saying variations on the same thing. I wouldn’t shop Kelly this season. Maybe next year when his contract is runing out. That said, if a team comes to Murray with a good enough offer then take it and run.
Regarding rebuilding: Shean Donovan was a useful player and a good veteran to have around even past 35, so there is no particular reason why Kelly shouldn’t have another 5-7 good years left. Guys like Maltby and Draper have been useful to the Red Wings well into their 30s, also. Just sayin….
"He’s in his prime now, but won’t be when the team is winning again"
Bingo. I love Kelly’s ethic, the talents he brings – he and Vermette together were awesome – and he is one of the few sources of speed we have up front. If he had decent scorig touch, he would have remarkable offensive numbers.
But by the time we start winning again, he won’t have the same speed and will not be a part of the picture going forward.
Any trade of a unique asset, whether it’s Neil, Kelly, Spezza, etc… has to be done in light of what you have coming up to replace it, or what you bring back to replace it, and the impact it has on your balance sheet. At the moment, I don’t know enough about prospects already in the AHL, but I haven’t seen his speed and defensive prowess replicated as yet. Keep him this year and trade him next year once the picture clarifies, but listen to offers to see if you can get better while still finding his skillset somewhere else.
Agreed
Next year is when he’ll be most valuable in terms of trade.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
Fisher first if possible
If I had a choice, I would try to trade Fisher before Kelly. Fisher adds some marquee value to a team in the States, that might get a better return. Fisher might be bothered by injury, but I think his marriage has to be a distraction. Fisher is well-liked and I think that has led to him being over-rated. Don’t get me wrong. I like him too. But I think the expectations are probably too high. I don’t think he is a better player than Kelly.
I think both players should be traded if the right offer is made
I don’t think Kelly is capable of replacing Fisher on the second line, though. Trading Fisher would leave a pretty big hole.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
Don't trade something you can't replace
I think I’m going to get boring on this point; don’t wish away something you don’t have anywhere in your system. I haven’t seen a top 6 forward emerge from any of the callups from Bingo and that’s where we are short right now. Until you know you have a replacement 2nd line center either coming back to you in the trade or coming up from Bingo or as a draft pick, who’s going to do that job credibly? The only Fisher trade I would be happy about is one that brings back an up and coming center because the trade partner wants a known performer for a Cup run.
I think Butler will emerge as a top 6 guy
Other than that, I agree.
Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs
That's Great
I haven’t seen enough of those guys to say one way or the other and if you’re right, that’s more than I expected out of our current forwards there. We seem to have lots of role players there but not much high flying speed+skill. Butler hasn’t put much on the board up here, yet. Is he fast? He’s a winger, I think, and a right handed shot, which is not dime a dozen.
Do any of the centers down there look to have the speed and defensive talent to eventually step into Kelly’s role?
2 for one
Fisher for 1st round pick and a prospect helps the rebuild, and frees up $4m to sign another 2nd line center in the offseason.
Here are centers that signed last summer compared to Mike’s $4m cap hit:
above: Marleau ($7.5) and Plekanec ($5M)
below: Cullen ($3.5M), Jokinen ($3M), S. Koivu ($2.5M), Lombardi ($3.5M), Morrison ($0.75M)
Think he’s not replaceable?
I thought he was older
From reading your comments I thought Kelly was older so I went and I checked. He is only 30, does not have hard millage on him (Neil) and will be effective for years to come. He is an excellent third line center and an exceptional penalty killer. I realize reading this that he has not caught your attention early on in his career but he certainly caught mine and the chemistry he had with Vermette was something to watch. How easily we forget the short handed goals Vermette scored and how it was all Kelly’s work. He has a good ten years left in this league and with the time he has spent here may be a cheaper signing in his next contract.
by Hockey Playoff Run SensFan on Feb 2, 2011 12:16 PM EST reply actions
Ten good years might be a bit much
I’d say he’s got six years until we see a serious dip in his play, but your point remains: He’s still got plenty of good hockey left in him.
An Ottawa Senators fan blogging at www.silversevensens.com
by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 2, 2011 2:31 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, but
I may also have sold his future short with respect to speed drop off. But speed is the key element to his game. Ideally, in my mind, when it’s time for a new crop of elite forwards to step up, the best scenario is that they do it in the midst of core role players who are the rock of your team, rather than trying to bring them in from outside when you realize you’re too soft. In other words, like the Sens did, tinkering with the role players to find the right complement for their “talent” when they showed themselves to be a bit of a pushover. The tinkering that went on cost us 2nd round picks, prospects like Laich and they never seemed to jell.
Realistically, no matter who we draft and how well we draft this year and next, it will be a few years before they are solid enough to carry the team. See Oilers. By then, we will be counting on the current Bingo crowd to have matured as a strong defence and 3rd and 4th line. By then, Kelly won’t be a part of the 3 cup dynasty that’s brewing. In the meantime, he can either be a piece of stability or an asset we parlay into useful new parts.
Then keep in for the short term
He has another year so let’s trade him next year for a prospect that is closer to being ready than a draft pick that you have to wait for a few years to develop. I’m sure other teams are aware of his role and what he offers. Then he can test free agency in the summer. There are always teams struggling to keep goals out on the penalty kill.
by Hockey Playoff Run SensFan on Feb 2, 2011 5:49 PM EST up reply actions
Kelly vs. Winch
So I’ve basically been on board with the notion that a realistic return for any of the “untouchables” should be considered but the idea that clearing Kelly makes room for other guys got me thinking. Winchester being the most named. I just checked and Kelly has been basically good for 30pts each year including his first season – including on much deeper Sens teams. Winch hasn’t hit that pace yet albeit in two partial seasons.
Disagreements about trade value aside, do we have what we think we do coming up? We may need to hold onto a Chris Kelly longer than we think we do…
Unless we can turn some of our assets into a solid second line centre. Ottawa’s always needed production from their 3rd line because we’ve lacked a true 2nd line for a long time. If we can build two solid scoring lines, the third line production becomes less important, and they can focus more on the defensive aspects.
The general tone of this thread reminds me of an episode of 'Hoarders'
Even after these people admit they have a problem, they’re loathe to throw anything out.
‘What? Hell no I can’t throw out that can of condensed milk, I was gonna do some cooking next month.’
Mark’s got it right here. Kelly is a nice player, but guys with his skill set abound in the A. Get what you can and move on.
Cannot play with 'em, cannot win with 'em, cannot coach with 'em. Cant do it.
I've been advocating that we move Kelly all season.
His value has never been higher; he put up a point per game in last years playoffs and totally outshone Jordan Staal and his line in the process. He came off a career regular season in goals and points as well.
It frees up a spot for a younger, NHL ready bottom six centre prospect (Smith or O’Brien), and frees up over a million dollars in the process. Additionally, we get a pick, prospect, or maybe even package for a defenseman.
Trading Chris Kelly makes sense.
Your right about his value
If this or last year were contract years and he was putting up number like that then you could explain it. It speaks to his love and intensity of the game, guys like that are invaluable both as keepers and as trade bait. Tough decision as far as I’m concerned
by Hockey Playoff Run SensFan on Feb 3, 2011 11:04 AM EST up reply actions
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