Gonna miss Kelly. Great part of the 2011 team that brought us the Cup - you just can't forget that. I wouldn't really have minded Kelly at $900K....so Ottawa's got, stochastically speaking, a good deal. Yeah, there's a reasonable chance that he might not be the same after literally getting a hat trick of leg fractured bones. But it's not a large price to pay for veteran presence and a player who may bounce back.
The thing that makes me kidna glad we didn't sign him is we've already got a backlog of centers, with Bergeron, Krejci, Spookes (Backner?) as a top 3, and the slew of rookies/new blood we have going for the fourth slot.
Nash, Vatrano, Acciari, Griffith, and Koko (he's still technically ours) are all listed as center. While I'm sure they have the flexibility to move to the wing (remember, Pasta was a center IIRC before he was drafted, and he transitioned to the wing well), it also means they could slide into a 4th line center position. I couldn't tell you if any of them have already played center in the NHL - it's known to be harder than the wing. But in a pinch (and I'm sure we'll be in a pinch many, many times next year), they should be able to play center.
And those are just the ones that have already played in the NHL.
The Bruins may have problems next year, but (at least at this point) it's not because of their strength down the center. If anything, it's DESPITE their strength down the center.