One NHLer out, another NHLer in.
That’s the story out of Switzerland today as National League B team HC Red Ice announced the signing of Boston Bruins forward Chris Kelly to a lockout deal.
Kelly will replace Nashville forward Patric Hornqvist, who signed for Red Ice in early October but recently announced he wouldn’t renew his contract.
Kelly, 31, is coming off a career year with the Bruins that saw him score 20G-19A-39PTS in 82 games before chipping in with three points in seven playoff games. In June, Boston rewarded him with a four-year, $12 million extension.
The move to Switzerland will be Kelly’s first foray into European hockey.
During the last lockout, he opted to stay in North America and play for Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton, where he broke out with a 24-goal, 60-point effort. That performance kickstarted his NHL career -- the following season, he appeared in all 82 games for the Senators, scoring 10 times.
With the move to Red Ice, Kelly becomes the third Bruin to head to Switzerland, as both Tyler Seguin (HC Biel) and Patrice Bergeron (HC Lugano) are playing there, albeit in the National A League.
