The Boston Bruins have re-signed Chris Kelly to a 4 year contract at $3M per season, and Greg Campbell for 3 years at $1.6M. Kelly returns at a fair price, cheaper than Antoine Vermette or Brooks Laich, more expensive than Max Talbot or Jason Chimera. This contract takes him to age 36, so there will likely be diminishing returns as his production begins to decline with age. Kelly has a similar deal to Tom Kopecky, which seems just about right, neither being a bargain, but quality depth players who can chip in with offense. Boston's prime window is the remaining tenure of Zdeno Chara, because when the big man retires, this team will suffer a major step backwards (more so than the loss of Thomas). Year 4 of the Kelly deal will hurt, but he's somebody they need back next year. Good move by Boston.
Gregory Campbell also inked a new deal, though his return is not quite as significant. When you look at his production and tenure comparables around the league, his new salary is at the high end of what the other guys are making (he's tied with Vernon Fiddler at $1.8M). He's still only 29 and theoretically has more in the tank than Kelly, but has a far lower offensive upside. By resigning both of these players today, the Bruins have retained 2 modestly contributing components of their Stanley Cup winning team, which is clearly the objective of management. Win while you're good. Makes sense.
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