Bell attempts to look forward

Brendan Bell had to think about the question for a few seconds. And it is no surprise that he did; after all, it had been awhile.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman was bumped from the left point to the left wing to fill in for the injured Boyd Devereaux in the Leafs' 4-3 win over Edmonton on Saturday night, a sudden switch in position the 23-year-old had not experienced for some time.

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Bell shifts into forward gear

In the hours leading up to the game last Saturday, the Maple Leafs' Brendan Bell quickly tapped out a short text message to his brother.

"I'm playing left wing!" the e-mail said.

It was, Bell said, the best way to tell his family he'd be playing forward for the first time since he was eight years old.

"My parents aren't up on that text messaging stuff, so I knew my brother would pass on the news," Bell said.

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Bell's forward thinking a boost

When Brendan Bell was about 7 or 8 years old and a forward in minor hockey in Ottawa, his father Les raised a point in the logic that resonates with young players.

"You know," began Dad. "If you move back to defence, you can play twice as much and still carry the puck up the ice if you want."

At that point, a defenceman was born and Ottawa had one less left winger. Bell has been a blueliner ever since. At least until now.

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Maple Leafs shopping Bell?

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be shopping young defenseman Brendan Bell, hints the Ottawa Sun.

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Bell's okay with being trade bait

Brendan Bell is not surprised that the Maple Leafs have been shopping him around.

In fact, he is fully aware that Toronto management has been kicking tires throughout the league in order to gauge any potential interest in Bell's talents.

With the Leafs enjoying a surplus on the blue line, at least one eastern conference team has been contacted by Toronto concerning Bell, the 65th overall pick in the 2001 entry draft.

"Am I shocked? By no means. From the get-go, I knew the position that I'm in," Bell said yesterday after participating in the Leafs morning skate at the Air Canada Centre.

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