I was going to start a thread about this deal. My title was going to be:
It's called Bruins!
Don't get me wrong, I do like the players they brought in, but wow did they overpay for them. Seriously, a first, two 2nd's, and your top prospect in Joe Colbourne for 25 games of Tomas Kaberle, and an overpaid 3rd line center? That's like paying $20 for a Whopper combo. The Whopper always tastes good, so it's not a matter of the product, it's just that you paid too damn much for it. Especially if it gives you diarea when the playoffs roll around. At any rate, Kelly is a slightly more offensive version of Greg Campell. Good solid two way guy, but basically a 15 goal scorer. He's a 3rd line center. An overpaid one at that. Kaberle is a terrific puck moving defenseman who is exactly what the team needed. He's who they thought Dennis Wideman would one day be. All in all, I like the players aquired, but I hate the compensation paid. They overpaid and there is no way to deny that.
If they somehow manage to resign Kaberle then the compensation won't be that bad. If they get 3+ years out of Kaberle then my opinion will change. The problem though, is that Chiarelli is clueless when it comes to handing out contracts. He truly overpays for players. Add up the guys he's overpaid by $500k-$1 million per, and you could add a $4-5 million player to the roster, which is what this team still needs. They still need a wing that can score if they are going to go deep into the playoffs. If not a scoring wing, then an offensively gifted player that can create chances. Someone like Alexi Kovalev comes to mind. He might not be on the same defensive page as the Claude, but he can handle the puck and create both possession and chances in the offensive end.