NHL rejects new four-year contract signed by Boston Bruins C Chris Kelly

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:

NHL reject Bruins Chris Kelly 4 years / 12 million contract. Cap issues for the Bruins right now.—
Renaud P Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) June 14, 2012

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:

No surprised the NHL rejected the Chris Kelly contract. Deal cannot be completed until July 1st due to tagging issues. Deal will get done.—
Hockey Break (@HockeyBreak) June 14, 2012

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

@brooksiebruin19 It's a report, but Chiarelli stated today deal couldn't be signed until July 1 because of cap issues. No need to worry yet.—
Douglas Flynn (@douglasflynn) June 14, 2012