What the Maple Leafs are getting in recent signee, Kieffer Bellows
After being drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders, Kieffer Bellows has found it very difficult to stick around the NHL on a consistent basis. For a former 19th overall pick, he has only suited up in 95 NHL games in parts of 5 seasons but the Toronto Maple Leafs believe that maybe they can turn things around for the 25-year-old.
Bellows scored 16 goals and 32 points in just 23 games during his draft year for the U.S. National Under-18 Team. He struggled with Boston University in 2016-17 with just 14 points in 34 games but exploded for the Portland Winterhawks the following season. He spent the next 2 years with the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport before getting his first taste of NHL action in 2019-20.
In parts of 5 seasons he has scored 14 goals and 28 points in 95 games with 27 of those games coming just last season with the Philadelphia Flyers - after being placed on waivers by New York. He scored 3 goals and added no assists while averaging 9:47 TOI. He walked into free agency after not being tendered a qualifying offer at the end of the season. He signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on a PTO before being let go as the season was about to begin.
The Maple Leafs signed him to a PTO earlier today and part of the reason is because of the injuries they have sustained in the AHL in recent weeks. Bobby McMann just came back after missing a few games, Roni Hirvonen is currently day-to-day, and Ryan Tverberg is week-to-week with a lower body injury. Bringing in a former first round pick with NHL experience and one who is still relatively young, might be able to keep the Marlies afloat for the time being.
Another reason for some positivity around the signing is that he will be reunited with Marlies head coach John Gruden who was an assistant coach on the Islanders for 3 years of Bellows' young career. Current Marlies GM, Ryan Hardy, was also the Director of Player Personnel for the USNTDP Juniors before Bellows was drafted.
Bellows might not blow you away with his offensive game but he brings about a steady presence on the bottom-6 with the upside of potting a few in the back of the net. Consistency has been lacking for the 25-year-old as he has not been able to stick around an NHL team for long. If he can hone in on what made him a first round pick and add some defensive intangibles to his arsenal, he can be a serviceable top-9 forward for the Marlies and could find his way to the Maple Leafs at some point.
For the time being, Bellows can be seen as a "project" but signing him to a PTO does no harm for either party. If he shows out in a big way, he might find a permanent home while helping both clubs. If he struggles in his first few weeks, then they can always replace him once the injured players come back into the lineup.
