Leafs piss away their future again

What the fuck? The Leafs have acquired Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell from the Sharks in exchange for a conditional first round pick, a second-round pick in 2007 and a 2009 fourth-round pick. As TSN puts it:

The first round pick is set for 2007, but if the player the Sharks want isn't available, San Jose has the option to move the pick to 2008 with a top 10 protection covering the Leafs.
That means if Toronto's 2008 pick is a top 10 pick then it will slide to 2009.

Options....
This does give the Leafs a 1-2 punch in goal with Raycroft and Toskala, which isn't a bad thing. But Mark Bell? He had a dismal 21 points in San Jose, didn't click with Thornton, and is making $2 million per season. He may rebound in his home province.
The Sharks once again secure their future with draft picks and the Leafs try to buy a championship team to win "NOW", once again. It doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth. Is this deal going to make the Leafs better? In my opinion, only a little. The Raycroft-Toskala combo is good no doubt. But the Leafs' problems lie in their defensive play, and obviously Raycroft took too much heat for his teammates' lackluster play. Let's see what other Leaf fans are saying.

this shows why the leafs have absolutely no depth in their minors. good move!?! maybe but goaltending wasn't the leafs problem last season imo. - rockyfoxhammer

Amen!

So now the leafs have 2 number 2 goalies!! Overpaid defencemen, no forward capable, outside of Mats, attaining more the 50 pts!!! Appears like another lost season!! Oh when will it stop?? - chrisman1

Hey, become a Canucks fan. It's better here!

Good move by JFJ, considering how weak this years draft is he didn't give up much. If Bell doesn't pan out offensively, we still have his size and grit. - thundermuffin

I know, TSN was calling anything beyond the 1st round 'weak.' So this guy may have a point. Until some of the guys past round 1 become superstars. Anything can happen. It's still pissing away picks.

Thank goodness!! Just about anyone else with goalie pads is a step up from Raycroft. Ferguson tells you he is happy with the goaltending situation, but at the first chance he went out and got another one. How about that! drJustinChan

I think JFJ likes Raycroft but wants the same set up that the Sharks and Ducks have had all along with 2 goalies. Or, he really doesn't trust Raycroft at all. Toskala will push for the #1 spot.

By the way, head over to the Battle of Ontario. There is mass reactions there if you are interested. Most commenters are happy with the move.

T Tags: Leafs Vesa+Toskala Mark+Bell trade