NHL Rumors: Bruins Offer Chris Kelly and Fourth-Line Players Contract Extensions

The Boston Bruins have offered center Chris Kelly and fourth-line players Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille contract extensions, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

All four players have expiring contracts and will become unrestricted free agents on July 1 if not re-signed before then. 

The Bruins just gave Johnny Boychuk a new three-year contract on Tuesday and remain focused on keeping many of the players from last year's Stanley Cup team around for at least one more year. Earlier this season, Boston re-signed forwards David Krejci and Rich Peverley to new three-year contracts.

What do these contract offers mean?

Offering these players contracts now, before the Feb. 27 trading deadline, will allow team general manager Peter Chiarelli to determine what he'll need at the deadline, and maybe in the summer as well.

With Nathan Horton missing games due to a concussion and Peverley flying to Boston to be evaluated after being injured in Montreal on Wednesday, the Bruins definitely have a need for a top-six forward before the trade deadline.

If the Bruins cannot work out an extension with one, or any, of these players, then they might have a better idea of what their needs will be at the deadline so management can improve the club for another Stanley Cup run this postseason.

I would expect all the fourth-line players to re-sign since they aren't likely to be expensive contracts, and the three of them represent the best fourth line in the NHL. Thornton, Campbell and Paille have a great amount of chemistry on their line and are all fantastic penalty killers.

Individually, Thornton provides excellent veteran leadership, Campbell provides toughness and solid two-way play and Paille brings great speed and special teams play to the Bruins. Keeping this fourth line together, which is an important line for the Bruins, will likely be a priority of Chiarelli's before July 1.

Kelly is a different story, however. While he provides the team with excellent leadership and good two-way play, he has not been the same player he was earlier in the year, when he scored goals at such a good rate.

Kelly has only scored four goals since Dec. 5, when he already had 10 of the 14 goals he has right now. Kelly had a salary cap hit of $2.125 million this season, and if he wants more than that to remain in the Boston, I would let him walk in the summer.

What does the future look like?

The Bruins will need money to sign Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand, who are all free agents after next season. Lucic, Seguin and Marchand will be restricted free agents, while Horton will be unrestricted.

Chiarelli has done a magnificent job of handling the salary cap to ensure the team has enough financial flexibility to re-sign its good young players and still add veterans in the middle of the season.

The Bruins are committed to building a team with the right mixture of young and veteran players who have good chemistry amongst each other.

I would expect the entire fourth line to return next season, and even though Kelly could certainly return as well, I think the chances of the fourth liners returning is greater. With that said, Kelly coming back next season wouldn't be a major surprise.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.