Fansided

Chris Kelly out 6-8 months with broken leg (video)

By Dave Stevenson

Nov 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) reacts after suffering an injury during the first period against the Dallas Stars at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) reacts after suffering an injury during the first period against the Dallas Stars at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Boston Bruins forward Chris Kelly will be out for at least the next six to eight months after suffering a broken left femur against the Dallas Stars.

The Boston Bruins suffered an embarrassing 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening. During the game, they suffered an even bigger loss when forward Chris Kelly suffered a broken left femur in the first period.

The injury is an extremely unfortunate one because it was a freak accident. Kelly and Stars forward Colton Sceviour were both going for the puck and got tangled up. Kelly fell and immediately started grabbing his leg.

The Bruins are 6-4-1 and now losing a key member of their team. Kelly is an important member of the Bruins third line and has been one of their most reliable penalty killers during his tenure with the Bruins. Kelly’s value goes far beyond his two goals in eleven games. The Bruins realized that in the immediate aftermath of the game, per ESPN.

"“You hope we can somehow compensate for his loss, but I think people are going to realize how important he is to our hockey club, not just on the ice but in the dressing room and around the team,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “He’s a guy that is extremely respected by his teammates and on the ice he’s given us everything we’ve asked for.”"

Bruins alternate captain Patrice Bergeron was also emotional when he discussed what Kelly means to the team.

"“He’s a veteran that is really important for us on and off the ice. He brings so much to the team, especially as a leader. As soon as I saw him go down it didn’t look good and kind of felt like it was going to be a pretty bad injury and unfortunately that’s exactly what it is and I’m definitely thinking of him right now. Hopefully the pain is not too bad.”"

Forward Alexander Khokhlachev will most likely fill Kelly’s roster spot. Khokhlachev is currently taking the roster spot of David Pastrnak, who is out with a foot injury. Center Maxime Talbot, who was just called up today, could help fill that void as well. Whichever of the duo does better will likely be the replacement for Kelly.

Home/Boston Bruins