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“Getting an opportunity to coach last year, as you know, it’s a full-time commitment and those guys work extremely hard,” Kelly said before taking part in the Senators’ Alumni golf tournament Friday at The Marshes. “Right now, I’m having talks with my family about what the next course of action is going to be next year.

“I said to my wife that my whole playing career has always been about me and I’ve been with my wife since the first contract. I said, ‘At some point that needs to change and it has to be about my family’. That’s where my mindset is right now and we’ll see what happens.”

A consummate professional, Kelly said he has enjoyed working with Donovan but that role also takes away from home.

“Working with Shean was awesome,” Kelly said. “I wanted to stay in the game and I love the game but you’re still putting the work in and you’re still away from your family a bit.

“I’ve enjoyed all aspects of being on the other side of hockey. To be honest, I hadn’t missed the game, and I thought I’d have a really hard time with it being my first year retired, but I hadn’t missed the game until I saw the playoffs. Doing the development job and the coaching was super important to moving on from my playing days.”

Kelly said he needs to weigh options before making a final decision on whether to remain in the game or step away for awhile.

“Ultimately it comes down to a family decision,” he said. “When you’re playing, it’s a family decision, but most time it’s the player’s decision. Right now, I’m weighing my options and it will be a family decision for sure.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

Twitter: @sungarrioch

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