It has nothing to do with any issues with the brash youngster and grizzled veteran currently lined up on opposite sides of him. It's just a reflection that Kelly feels no different than anyone else involved with the Bruins. He'd like nothing better than to give his current spot back to Patrice Bergeron and return his old spot on the third line.
That isn't likely to happen, at least not for the start of the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay, as Bergeron is currently sidelined with a concussion.
"I would love not to play with them," Kelly said. "We'll see what happens and go from there.
"You can't replace Bergy," he added. "He does every little thing that maybe goes unnoticed by a lot of people, but not by us. You can't replace him. He's irreplaceable and hopefully he's good to go."
Kelly filled in for Bergeron between Marchand and Recchi after Bergeron was hurt early in the third period of Friday's 5-1 win to complete the sweep of Philadelphia. And Kelly was centering the second line again as the Bruins went through their first practice without Bergeron Monday at Ristuccia Arena.
"Marshy's pretty quiet," Kelly joked. "They're both great players. If I do end up playing with them, it will be a fun experience. Obviously Marshy and Rex are great players, so whatever needs to be done, I'll do it. Wherever Claude [Julien] feels best to put me, I think we're all willing and capable."
Julien appears set on at least starting with Kelly as Bergeron's replacement.
"It's one of the fits we have in mind right now," Julien said. "As we speak, I think it's something that we think can be a good fit. He's obviously had some pretty good numbers in the playoffs, but also very reliable at the other end of the ice as well. So, it's a starting point."
Kelly has been a surprising point producer in the postseason, putting up 4-3-7 totals with a plus-7 rating through 11 games, after managing just 2-3-5 totals in 24 games during the regular season upon coming over from Ottawa in a February trade.
"What he produced offensively, point-wise and goals and all that stuff, has certainly been refreshing for us," Julien said. "We know he was a good, solid two-way player. We maybe didn't expect as much offensively as we've seen so far. So that's been great."
Kelly put up those numbers playing on the third line with Michael Ryder and Rich Peverley, giving the Bruins the kind of depth needed in the postseason with a balanced attack featuring Bergeron (team-high 12 points) and a top line centered by David Krejci (10 points).
"The team's doing well, and when the team does well, individuals do well," Kelly said. "It's nice to get production from everyone, and when you're producing, that's always a nice feeling."
Kelly isn't a stranger to stepping into a scoring role. With the Senators, he played primarily on a checking line with agitator Jarkko Ruutu and tough guy Chris Neil, but several times moved up to play in the top six alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza when injuries struck.
Those stints proved temporary, and Kelly hopes his time on Boston's second line will also prove brief with Bergeron making a speedy recovery.
