MacKinnon , Makar , Necas , and Landeskog . Those are the players who snatch up the headlines. But when it comes to championship teams, a vital ingredient are players who are willing to do the less glamourous work to help them win. That's where Parker Kelly thrives.
Nothing has been handed to Kelly. He had to fight, kick and claw his way to get to where he is now. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Ottawa Senators in 2017, Kelly didn't get a sniff of the NHL until the 2020-21 season and it was a short one. He scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, which turned out to be his only game of the year.
His next season got him on the Senators' radar as he played in 41 games in 2021-22 while scoring seven goals and 12 points. Kelly also delivered 131 hits which would have projected to 262 over a full 82-game season.
After two more seasons in Ottawa, which saw him score four points and 18 points, respectively, the Avalanche valued Kelly's energy, forechecking, physical play, and his ability to make life uncomfortable for opponents. That's why they signed him to a two-year contract in July 2024.
Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In Kelly's first season in Colorado, he scored eight goals and had 19 points in 80 games. The Avalanche knew they had someone who would pay the price for the team in order to help them in the bottom six and ultimately signed him to a four-year extension in 2025.
A player such as Kelly complements the Avalanche's high-end skill. While it's always nice to have a plethora of superstars on a roster, you also need players who will do the dirty work, and Kelly is one of those players.
He is a player who retrieves pucks, defends and gives the stars favorable situations. He has already established himself, as evidenced by his career-high totals of 21 goals and 35 points last season. With that being said, the question entering 2026-27 is whether head coach Jared Bednar gives Kelly additional responsibilities.
The Avalanche added younger bottom-six options such as Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux. Instead of making Kelly irrelevant, that competition makes his reliability even more important. On a roster filled with players capable of bringing fans out of their seats, Kelly's contributions aren't always going to make the highlight reel. That doesn't make them any less important to where the Avalanche want to go, which is another Stanley Cup championship.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/avalanche/onsi as Parker Kelly Does the Dirty Work That Makes the Avalanche Better .
