Chris Kelly And The Oilers?

The Oilers scored their first win of the season on Monday night, a 3-2 decision over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was a solid win, one where the Oilers had almost their whole team clicking. I say almost, because there was a key cog that looked lost for the 6th time this season. That key cog? Leon Draisaitl, the man drafted 3rd overall this past June at the entry draft.

Leon’s very talented, he’s got a ton of offensive potential, he brings size, and a knack for a puck possession style of play. He was a monster in juniors a year ago, but does not appear ready to make the jump to the NHL. He started behind the eight-ball after a brief injury during rookie camp, and outside of a game or two never really dominated in the pre-season.

Through six regular season games, Leon has one point and has made a number of mistakes that have led to chances against. I’m not saying this kid is a bust, he isn’t, and I do love this kid’s potential and future, but he just is not ready right now. Edmonton needs to do something, because this kid needs another season of junior hockey.

Edmonton is 1-4-1, but the stats indicate this is a team that deserves a better record than the current one. The roster is improved over last season, but badly lacks a veteran NHL center to go along with RNH, Mark Arcobello and Boyd Gordon. Ideally, this player would be a responsible third line center who is a veteran of the NHL game.

Enter Chris Kelly from the Boston Bruins.

Kelly:

Chris Kelly is a solid veteran player, he’s a leader. Kelly is the kind of guy that will put his body on the line to block a shot, and is the kind of guy that is committed to the team before he is individual stats. He’s a playoff veteran too, and has made three trips to the Stanley Cup finals, including winning one with Boston in the spring of 2011.

Chris Kelly is a very good penalty killer, and is a guy that can win his fair share of faceoffs. He’s the kind of player that is defense first, and is a player that the Bruins usually trust to protect a lead and finish a game off. He’s a perfect fourth line center in the NHL, but could work as a third liner on a team like Edmonton, that quite frankly does not have any depth down the middle.

Kelly’s defensive game is something that is sorely lacking in Edmonton. He’d be a change of pace center from RNH and Mark Arcobello, and would fall into the category with Boyd Gordon in terms of skill set. Gritty, tough, defensively sound, and a proven NHL player. Say what you will, but Edmonton needs that kind of guy.

There are knocks on Kelly as well, his offensive game really isn’t there. He scored 18 points in 57 games last year, and before that had only nine points in 34 games. Kelly’s best season? 20 goals and 39 points for Boston back in 2011-12. That is not a player that you would be relying on for offensive production, it’s plain and simple.

Kelly isn’t an offensive black-hole, but asking for 30 points
here is likely being very optimistic. Granted, he’d be playing with more offensive minded players in Edmonton, as Benoit Pouliot and Nail Yakupov would be his line-mates here. Yes, I’m sliding him onto that third line.

Cap wise, Kelly has a $3 M cap hit for both this season and next year before he hits UFA status. That’s a lot of money for a 33 year old center who is starting to hit his decline and who still has a year left on his contract.

The Asking Price:

Boston has a little over $3 M in cap space currently, but is looking to fill a massive hole on their top-line at right wing. That means the Bruins, who are likely in the hunt for a legit scoring threat, need to clear more cap space. The Bruins could be interested in Jordan Eberle, as many in the Boston media have been writing, but you are not going to get a guy like that for a player like Kelly.

A more realistic asking price? I could see a draft pick, likely in the 3rd round to 5th round range being an ask, while I could also see a prospect like Anton Lander, who is on his last legs as an Oiler, be the ask.

Boston, unless it is a stud, won’t want to take any salary back here. In fact, you could argue that taking the contract is the asset being given to Boston.

This Is Random….Why Did You Bring It Up?:

Earlier today, Bruins writer Joe Haggerty of Comcast Sportsnet New England wrote an article saying it was time for Boston to make a heavy push for Oiler winger Jordan Eberle. In that piece, Haggs let out an interesting piece of information, that the Oilers and Bruins have been involved in trade discussions going back to the summer when Johnny Boychuk was the main piece being discussed. He also mentioned that Kelly’s name was brought up too.

The Bruins and Oilers have conducted an ongoing trade conversation going back to the beginning of summer involving Johnny Boychuk, and again right before this season’s opening with Chris Kelly on Edmonton’s radar. (Source)

The Oilers are still looking for help down the middle, and with Leon Draisaitl clearly showing he is not ready for prime time, a move for a veteran like Kelly could be very helpful to an Oilers team that is looking to make it’s way up the NHL standings. If the price is right, I’d be very willing to pull the trigger.