Anaheim Ducks Acquire Jonathan Bernier and Ottawa Senators Bring Back Chris Kelly

The Anaheim Ducks acquired goaltender Jonathan Bernier from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a conditional draft pick on Friday. 

Bernier went 12-21-3 with three shutouts and a 2.88 goals against average and .908 save percentage during the 2015-2016 National Hockey League season. Over the course of his career, he has gone 88-88-23 with a 2.67 GAA and .915 save percentage, with 12 shutouts. 

The 27-year-old Bernier was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, with the 11^th overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent eight seasons in the NHL with the Kings and Maple Leafs. 

During the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, New York, the Ducks dealt goaltender Frederik Andersen to the Maple Leafs for their first round pick, number 30 overall, and a second rounder in 2017. 

Maple Leafs general manager, Lou Lamoriello said, “As we all know, we made the trade earlier to get [Frederik] Andersen and we felt that this is the best thing for us to do and we will acquire a backup goaltender before training camp.”

 

The Ottawa Senators announced on Friday that that signed forward Chris Kelly to a one-year deal worth 900,000 dollars.  

Kelly will be returning to the Canadian capital after spending five seasons with the Boston Bruins. Senators general manager, Pierre Dorion said, “We are excited to welcome Chris back to Ottawa. We felt that we needed another player with the ability to succeed in close situations and on the penalty kill. Chris will be able to contribute to both of those while adding another accomplished leader to our group.”

 

The 35-Year-old, Kelly, was drafted by the Senators with the 94^th pick in the third round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. In 463 games with the Senators, he has scored 75 goals. Over the course of his career he has scored 118 goals and 159 assists in 751 games. 

The Senators dealt Kelly to the Bruins on February 15, 2011, for a second round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. Kelly went on to help Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011. He scored 13 points in 25 games during the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship run.

This past season, he scored two goals in 11 games before breaking his leg in a game against the Dallas Stars on November 3. 

Kelly told the Ottawa Sun, “I started skating at the beginning of March, and from March through May, before I took a break. I was fully cleared to return in June and I was on the ice again [Wednesday] and back working out. Everything feels great.”   

Dorion added, “We are not signing Kelly for what he did in the past, it is for what he can do for us in the future. He can help us win right now.”