Report: NHL rejects Kelly’s extension with Bruins

So apparently the NHL does not only frown at nine-figure contracts handed out to superstars like Ilya Kovalchuk. Renaud P. Lavoie of RDS.ca tweets:

The Bruins trumpeted the re-signings of third-line center Kelly and fourth-line center Gregory Campbell on Tuesday. Kelly’s deal was for $ 12 million over four years, while Campbell’s was for $ 4.8 million over three years.

CapGeek.com lists Boston as having the most money committed to its 2012-13 roster at the moment, but it says the Bruins have more than $ 5 million of cap room including Kelly’s new deal. So it’s unclear what exactly the NHL’s objection is.

However, @HockeyBreak offers an explanation that should calm Bruins fans:

And Douglas Flynn of NESN.com passed along Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli’s words of caution: