Help is on the Way

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli made his first move leading up to the Feb. 28 trade deadline, acquiring center Chris Kelly from the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2011. 

Just minutes after the Bruins dropped an agonizing 4-3 decision at home to the cellar-dwelling Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night, GM Peter Chiarelli held a press conference to announce that the team had acquired veteran center Chris Kelly from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round draft pick. And, while the acquisition of Kelly isn't going to have Black and Gold fans take to the streets in bliss, it is a welcome addition for a team in serious need of a jumpstart.

After being embarrassed in a home and home series with the mighty Red Wings last week, the Bruins hit rock bottom Tuesday night at the Garden before a sell-out crowd of 17,565. But it wasn't just the fact that they lost their third game in a row. It was how they lost.

Midway through the third period, Patrice Bergeron hammered home a rebound past Leafs netminder James Reimer to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead. However, with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, old friend Phil Kessel tied the game 3-3 with a beautiful move in close on Tim Thomas. For Kessel, it was his first goal against his former team.

Then, with just 61 seconds remaining, Mikhail Grabovski split three different Bruins defenders and then side-stepped Dennis Seidenberg before burying a top shelf wrister past Thomas to give the Leafs a 4-3 lead and the eventual come-from-behind win.

"Unacceptable," said coach Claude Julien after the game. "It's one of those situations where if you have any sense of pride, you're embarrassed about tonight. Not because the other team played well. But because we did not play to the level we should be playing."

You can say that again.

In fact, the loss was so troubling that it seemed as if Chiarelli's hand was forced into making a move just to prove to the fanbase that subpar efforts such as Tuesday night's will not be tolerated. In addition, the trade can also be viewed as a wake up call to the players, sending the harsh message that heads will role if the Bruins uninspired play continues.

In Kelly, the Bruins fill the void up the middle left by the loss of Marc Savard, whose season officially ended after being placed on the long-term injury reserve just over a week ago. Kelly's arrival should also shift Tyler Seguin back to the wing, where he can focus more on scoring goals and less on playing defense.

"He has a lot of playoff experience," said Chiarelli of Kelly, whom he knows very well after spending seven years in Ottawa as the Director of Legal Relations and Assistant GM. "He's good on faceoffs. He's a high-character person. He plays both ways. We needed a centerman that's going to give us some depth. Chris gives us that."

At 6'0'', 210 lbs, the 30-year-old Kelly also gives the Bruins some size and strength. A former 94th overall pick in the 1999 NHL Draft, Kelly had notched 33 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 57 games for Ottawa this season. His best season came in 2006-07, when he scored 15 goals and added 23 assists for an Ottawa team that reached the Stanley Cup finals. Kelly is also under contract for next season and relatively cheap (around $2 million), which means he's not just a half-year rental.

Kelly may not be Brad Richards or Keith Yandle, two game-changing forwards that Bruins fans are still holding out hope of acquiring in a trade, but the former Ottawa centerman should help shore up the third line and hopefully add some grit to a club in serious need of some.

Now, Chiarelli seems to be shifting his attention to acquiring a defenseman to help on the power play.

Tomas Kaberle, anyone?