WILMINGTON, Mass.The Bruins havent been especially active during the first day of the NHL free-agent frenzy, but they have been busy retaining their own players now that theyve been freed from their salary cap constraints.
Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced that the organization has officially re-signed center Chris Kelly and goaltender Tuukka Rask to deals that were held up by payroll tagging. The B's have also signed Russian prospect Alex Khokhlachev to a three-year entry-level deal.
Kelly has signed for four years and 12 million with no-trade provisions included, and Rask has signed for one-year and 3.5 million heading into the 2012-13 season.
Both Kelly and Rask had agreed in the weeks leading up to the July 1 opening of free agency, and now things are official.
The 19-year-old Khokhlachev will head to Russia for one season playing with Spartak of the KHL, and then is expected to return to the Bruins and potentially vie for a roster spot in Boston.
Chiarelli will conduct a 4 p.m. conference call to discuss the signings and go over the first day of NHL free agency as the Bruins try to put things together by adding a third line depth forward through trades or the free-agent market.