Bell Work

So what's reasonable to expect from Mark Bell as he begins his Maple Leaf career tonight?

Not that being reasonable ever had anything to do with the Leafs when it came to public expectations.

The kid's big, he can skate and he's a former first round draft pick found wanting by two other clubs.

If he turns out to be Todd Warriner, that would be a modest return on the investment the Leafs made by agreeing to take Bell as part of the package that sent Vesa Toskala from San Jose to Toronto. Warriner, the fourth pick of the '92 draft, joined the Leafs in the Mats Sundin deal with Quebec and topped out at 12 goals in a season before ending his career in Finland, Switzerland and Germany.

He was helpful for a time.

But hang on here. Bell was the eighth pick of the '98 draft, but has already scored 20-plus goals twice as an NHLer.

So the expected return should be greater than Warriner, agreed?

If you're the Leafs, you've got to hope Bell can be something roughly equivalent to Alexei Ponikarovsky, hopefully without quite so many dumb hooking infractions in the offensive zone.

Ponikarovsky is a similar size to Bell, also skates well and has 21 goals in each of the past two seasons.

If Bell hits that level, then this trade starts to look like a winner. Indeed, if Bell can play at that level, it could save John Ferguson's job.

An intriguing question is how much slack Bell should be allowed given he'll be playing under the cloud of knowing he'll be going to jail at the end of the season.

Already, Jason Blake has played remarkably well under a more serious cloud, that of cancer. Blake has only scored twice, but he's been a consistent contributor.

We'll learn, I guess, whether Bell can put all that other stuff aside, focus on hockey as an escape and this chance in Toronto as, possibly, his last one as a NHLer. As least an NHLer with a big, one-way contract.

Comments

[Lloyd Braun]

How about the Leafs make a deal with Bell, whereby if he can hit 25 goals this year and get them into the playoffs, JFJ agrees to serve the jail sentence?

[John Hunt]

Damien wrote: "If Bell hits that [Ponikarovsky's] level, then this trade starts to look like a winner. Indeed, if Bell can play at that level, it could save John Ferguson's job."

If Bell plays to that level, Ferguson is lucky at best. Ferguson gave up first, second and fourth round picks for a second string goalie and an underachieving former-first round pick with a prison sentence and likely suspension hanging over his head. Bell may have million dollar legs, but so far, he has shown to have just a ten cent brain. Washington gave up a fraction of that (three prospects) for Jaromir Jagr plus, and the Rangers even less (Anson Carter and cash). Bell has to do a lot more than score 20 goals for that trade to be anything close to a "winner."

Notwithstanding, Ferguson should lose his job not based on that trade, but on the sum of his work. Raask for Raycroft. Who wants that one back? How did that Brian Leetch trade turn out? Two prospects, first and second round picks, for what? 15 games and the second round of the playoffs. (And who didn't see the lock-out coming?) How about those contracts for Balfour and Domi that cost the team cap space after they were bought out? Yanic Perrault for a second round pick and Brendan Bell? When the rest of the league is going for speed, JFJ spends like there is no tomorrow on three marginal skating defensemen.

That adds up to two first round picks, three second round picks, a fourth round pick, and four prospects, including a former first round pick (who, incidently, is rated by The Hockey News as a better prospect than the goalie prospect we kept), almost no cap space, and Leaf Nation on its knees praying that some village loses its idiot long enough to take McCabe, Kubina and Tucker off our hands.

More importantly, ask yourself: Has the team improved in any facet since he arrived? Not that I have noticed. Everyone points to the young talent he has in the system. Well if it is so good, why are the Leafs still rated as having talent in the bottom 20% of the league by just about every hockey magazine? Only the TO press seems encouraged by the Leaf prospects. Strahlman as the next Lidstrom? Perhaps, but so far, Strahlman isn't to where Kaberle was his first season.

Whatever the question, Ferguson is not the answer. The Leafs have the money and reputation, and Leaf fans have shown a commitment to the team, to be demand better.

[Tyler Durden]

The Toronto Raptors - the succesful face of the MLSE empire. Deal with it.

[Brian Marto]

Lloyd Braun said it best you have to look at the big picture during John Ferguson rein as GM in Toronto,
If you look at what Bob Gainey is doing compared to what John Ferguson is doing, now if you are in the new NHL and a division with fast skating teams you try to build your team to compete with those clubs, I like Mark Bell he will give much needed depth on the forward position, but Toronto is right now a 500 team if they are lucky, it is not a coaching issue the coach is fine but Toronto needs players that can skate and are smart, when watching the Ottawa game one line stood out the Leafs kid line they had plenty of speed and smarts , that is the future of the Leafs
The Leafs need a GM that is experienced John Ferguson one day will be a good manager but he was given the wrong role he should of been an Assistant Manager first to someone like a Craig Patrick or even a John Muckler,
The Bell trade is good again it gives Leaf depth at the forward position and Bell can skate and has good size,

[Craig Jenson]

What a Peddie excuse for a hockey club. The Teacher's Pension Fund ought to write a book on how to stick with a loser.

[Remi]

Mark Bell will be a great addition for the Maple Leafs.He showed last night that he is not afraid of anyone.After that creep Neil elbowed Tlusty,Bell went after that idiot Neil and Neil was surprised.Bell will do a better job than Belak.He can fight and he can score goals.Toronto should get rid of Belak.