Chris Kelly returns to Senators on 1-year deal

Chris Kelly is going back to where it all began.

On Thursday, the 35-year-old signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Ottawa Senators - the club that drafted him 94th overall in 1999.

Kelly played only 11 games last season for the Boston Bruins, scoring twice. He fractured his femur in November and was lost for the remainder of the schedule. He scored seven goals and added 21 assists in 80 games in 2014-15.

A Toronto native, Kelly spent the first seven years of his career in the Canadian capital, playing 463 regular-season games with Ottawa and recording 176 points.

He was traded to the Bruins in 2011, and the timing was perfect. He scored five goals and had eight assists in 25 playoff games as Boston won the Stanley Cup.

"We are excited to welcome Chris back to Ottawa," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "In our evaluation of our roster we felt that we needed to add 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. He understands the type of commitment that is necessary to play at a championship level."

The Senators have been mostly quiet this offseason, but the addition of a strong two-way center in Kelly will help a young group that will be playing for a new head coach in Guy Boucher.