Lightning/NHL

Bell thrilled to join Sharks following three-team deal

The San Jose Sharks acquired versatile forward Mark Bell from Chicago on Monday as part of a three-team trade that sent Ottawa forward Martin Havlat to the Blackhawks.

The Sharks traded defensemen Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy to Chicago for Bell, who had career highs of 25 goals and 23 assists last season. The Blackhawks then shipped Preissing and Hennessy to the Senators along with defenseman Michal Barinka and a 2008 second-round draft pick in exchange for Havlat and forward Bryan Smolinski.

The deal fills needs for all three teams. The Sharks got another top forward to join their formidable collection, while the Senators added Preissing, an offensive-minded defenseman who should help assuage the free-agency loss of Zdeno Chara. Chicago landed Havlat, a proven NHL scorer who returned from shoulder surgery last season for an outstanding playoff run.

Given his skills and toughness, Bell should be a top candidate to play alongside NHL MVP Joe Thornton and league goal-scoring champion Jonathan Cheechoo on San Jose's top line. The thought of joining the league's most potent tandem forced Bell, who plays all three forward positions, to chuckle with excitement.

"It was very tough to play against those guys last year, and I know how good they are," said Bell, the eighth overall pick in the 1998 draft. "It's kind of mind-boggling to think that I could be on that line. If I play on that line, all the best. If not, I'm just going to try to help the team wherever I do play."

Havlat, who has 235 points in 298 career games with Ottawa, reportedly signed a three-year deal with Chicago after the trade, giving a boost to the Blackhawks' foundering lineup.

Preissing scored 43 points with a plus-17 rating for the Sharks last season while logging significant time on the power play, but the Sharks are loaded with top young defensive prospects.

CAPITALS: Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn, 23, who led Washington in blocked shots (131) last season, signed a two-year contract.

DEVILS: New Jersey re-signed veteran defenseman Colin White to a multiyear contract and signed right wing Mike Rupp.

RED WINGS: Forward Dan Cleary signed a two-year contract.

SABRES: Buffalo signed forward Andrew Peters to a one-year, $460,000 contract and traded the rights to defenseman Jan Hejda to Edmonton for the Oilers' seventh-round pick in next year's draft.

STARS: Dallas re-signed center Steve Ott, 23, to a two-year contract and added center Marty Sertich, a free agent who won the 2005 Hobey Baker Award while playing for Colorado College.

WILD: Minnesota re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Brent Burns to a two-year, $1.65-million contract.

[Last modified July 11, 2006, 06:38:33]