Sunday, January 31, 2021

Anthony DeAngelo Autograph Card

(team and product links go to sponsored Amazon products, player links go to related pages on my blog, news links go to source pages)

The New York Rangers have put one of their best defensemen, Tony DeAngelo, on waivers after an altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev and alternate captain Chris Kreider.

As good a hockey player as DeAngelo is, his personality was always an issue. While this is the first time I have personally heard a lot of this (I knew he was a Trump supporter, but my Quebecer bias thought a hockey player might have only been a passive supporter or at worst gone "cult-light" unlike, say, the Capitol insurrectionists), it is substancially documented that he has always had issues.

There was a bout of anger after a loss as a youth, an eight-game suspension in the OHL for using racial slurs on a teammate that shed light on the fact that it was at the time his second disciplinary measure in such circumstances, and he's been suspended in the OHL and NHL for (physical) abuse of officials. And the intention to leave Twitter for Parler speaks loudly to his worldview as well.

I don't know how I missed a lot of this. I kept wondering why he wasn't mentioned by the Canadian (and Hockey) media in general, and it felt off that a top-four regular who is among the league leaders in points would be so often overlooked, but I get it now, they were just sweeping it under the rug. I have (at least) three of his cards, so one more to feature here after today's post - and I'm fairly certain no one will take them off my hands even if I don't want them in my collection anymore. I'll have to recycle them as a "teaching tool" for my kids, I guess. And I didn't mention it here today, but even in the NHL, he's been a dick to a Black teammate, K’Andre Miller, so I guess I already know what I'll write about next time.

We'll see how that all develops. Deadspin - which looks intent on calling all hockey players inherently racist while overlooking the fact that skaters from 21 countries and 30 nationalities whose homelands may be dealing with racial issues in ways that differ from the Amerian white/Black/OPOC paradigm form their "white" contingent - are on DeAngelo's case and dug out quotes from his father that show this is how he was probably raised. I'm confident they'll get at the bottom of the story.

Here is today's subject, on card #176 from Fleer's 2016-17 Fleer Showcase set and Hot Prospects Autos sub-set, manufactured by Upper Deck:
It features a blue-sharpied, on-sticker autograph and shows him as a member of the Arizona Coyotes. It is numbered #200/499.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Christian Jaros Autographed Card

The Ottawa Senators have ultimately parted ways with defenseman Christian Jaros and gained forward Jack Kopacka (who this morning belonged to the Anaheim Ducks) and the San Jose Sharks' 7th-round draft pick from 2022; in the three-way trade, the Sharks sent former fourth-rounder Trevor Carrick to Anaheim.

I had identified size on the back end in my Shaks Season Preview post as a need they needed to fill, and it seems instead of going with the devil they knew, they opted to give a guy who couldn't make it out of the Sens' Taxi Squad a chance instead. Jaros is 24 years old, 6'3" and 222 pounds; he's good enough to be a top-four defender in both the Swedish League and the AHL, he just has to transpose his skill to the NHL level. Last season he had three assists and six penalty minutes in 13 games in Ottawa to go with 2 goals, 13 assists, 15 points, 14 PIMs and an astonishing +20 rating with the Belleville Senators.

What I've seen from him so far can be solved with a bit of self-confidence: he's already good defensively and uses his size to make timely hits; he rarely gets outskated (although he won't get confused with Connor McDavid anytime soon, either) and he seems to have good offeinsive reflexes, a decent pass and a good shot. In that sense, he reminds me of Peter Popovic in the 1990s, a guy who was comfortable on the second pair, who remained on the back end, until he started shooting more, and little by little gained some powerplay time. He unfortunately went back to Sweden just as he was hitting his stride and quickly became his team's captain overseas. I see the same type of skill, with perhaps more speed on Jaros' part.

Here he is wearing the Senators' white (away) uniform on card #638 from Upper Deck's 2017-18 O-Pee-Chee collection and Marquee Rookies sub-set:
He signed it in blue sharpie after a preseason game; it allows me to enter him as #83 in my Sens Numbers Project.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Pierre-Luc Dubois: Two Autographed Cards

(team links go to sponsored Amazon products, player links go to related pages on my blog, news links go to source pages)
It was barely a month ago that I mentionned Pierre-Luc Dubois asking for a trade and the Winnipeg Jets being a serious option even though they were already set at the 1C/2C positions with Mark Scheifele and Paul Stastny respecively, but the teams exchanged problems anyway, with Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic going to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's not too often that one has the chance to acquire a young top-line centre as he's hitting his prime, and Dubois has the potential to become a Vincent Lecavalier-type of elite player.

I had previously showcased him wearing Team Canada's red (away) uniform, so card #31 from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Team Canada Juniors/Women set isn't really anything "new" (except that he's seen here bracing for contact instead of making a play):
But card #H-24 from the Hydro sub-set of the same collection shows him wearing the team's white (home) uniform from the same 2015 U-18 World Juniors:
He was the youngest player on that U-18 team that captured bronze, in the same season where as a 16-year-old rookie with the LHJMQ's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, he was already wearing the alternate captain's "A".

He signed both as a member of the Jackets after a game against the Ottawa Senators.

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Alexander Steen Jersey Card

(team links go to sponsored Amazon products, player links go to related pages on my blog, news links go to source pages)

A month ago to the day, St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen announced his retirement due to "multiple levels of degenerative herniated discs of his lumbar spine" from an injury suffered during the 2019-20 season. He would technically have been a free agent at the end of the current season, but his retirement frees the Blues of his $5.3M cap space, which was enough to sign free agent Mike Hoffman and provide breathing room should Vladimir Tarasenko return from injury before the playoffs.

Steen was a terrific two-way forward who hit the 20-goal mark four times, received Selke Trophy votes in seven of his 15 NHL seasons, and even some Hart consideration in 2013-14 from a 33-goal, 29-assist and 62-point season (in 68 games), including 9 game-winning tallies.

With 245 career goals, 377 career assists and 622 career points in 1055 games, he joins his father Thomas Steen as only the fourth father-and-son duo to each surpass the 600-point mark in the NHL (Thomas had 917 points in 955 games, all with the Winnipeg Jets).

Here he is wearing the Blues' white (away) uniform, with the alternate captain's "A" visible on his chest, on card #GJ-AS from Upper Deck's 2016-17 Series 1 collection and UD Game Jersey sub-set:
Steen won the Stanley Cup with the rest of the Blues players in 2019.

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Avs Preview: Milan Hejduk Dual Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The biggest change the Colorado Avalanche (team links lead to Amazon sponsored pages, player links to relevant pages on my blog, and news links to their source) made this off-season is completing the switch to new uniforms from navy blue to baby blue by removing the black helmets, gloves and pants and making them blue as well. It's both gorgeous and extremely bizarre. Apart from that, GM Joe Sakic didn't overhaul his Stanley Cup-contending roster, with depth players departing (Nikita Zadorov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Colin Wilson, Mark Barberio, Kevin Connaughton and Matt Nieto), and depth players coming in (Brandon Saad, Devon Toews, Dennis Gilbert and Mikka Salomaki). After a career year at the age of 36, I also expect Sakic to obtain value for Ian Cole via trade, possibly for a high draft pick. I see him going back to a former team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues or Toronto Maple Leafs.

What makes their odds look good:
They have the most valuable NHL forward in Nathan MacKinnon, who is one of the three best forwards in the game yet only makes half of Connor McDavid's salary, leaving plenty of room under the cap for Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, Saad, Samuel Girard, goalies Pavel Francouz and Philipp Grubauer and eventually star defensemen Cale Makar and Bowen Byram when they get off their ELCs. We'll see ten years from now if the Edmonton Oilers end up having as many Cups as the Avs, but my gut tells me "no" (unless they each have zero or one).

Question marks:
The Avalanche do not have question marks anywhere on their roster. Not many things stand in their way of a championship, save for Covid-19, the Vegas Golden Knights in their own division, and the Tampa Bay Lightning being the reigning champs and still the best hockey team of the past 20 years on paper, with or without MVP Nikita Kucherov.

Outlook:
Sakic has one job: to not mess around with the roster. I think he knows it. This is a contender for the next five years as is.

Prediction:
First in the West Division.

This is the second time in the team's 25-year history that they have the make-up of a dynasty; unlike the 1995-2002 team, however, they do not need to have a Patrick Roy-level legend in net to get there, partly because there is currently no one like that in the league, and also because the game itself has changed and is more methodical and chess-like at nearly every position save for a few elite game-changers. The Avalanche have MacKinnon and Makar that fit the bill, and Rantanen is just a notch below.

If the "original" Avs had two MacKinnons in the form of Hall of Famers Sakic and Peter Forsberg (there was no salary cap at the time), and their Rantanen was Milan Hejduk, no slouch himself, as The Hockey Writers have aptly shown here. In addition to matching or surpassing Sakic and Forsberg on many an occasion, he did win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the lone 50-goal scorer of the 2002-03 season and stil only got a Second Team All-Star nod at his position at the end of the year, behind Todd Bertuzzi. Talk about a clash in style and personalities...

375 goals and 805 points in the Dead Puck Era (including 98 points in the worst of it in the early 00s) is equivalent to 1200 points in the 1980s. Never forget Hejduk, he was a heck of a player.

Here he is wearing the Avs' Reebok Edge burgundy (home) uniform with the awful vertical piping on cad #AF-MH from Upper Deck's 2008-09 SP Game-Used Edition collection and Authentic Fabrics/Dual Jerseys sub-sets:
It features not one but two matching game-worn jersey swatches. These types of cards were much thinner back then, they feel thinner than many modern base cards.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Wild Preview: Mikko Koivu Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

GM Bill Guerin is reshaping the Minnesota Wild (player links go to other posts on my blog, team links are sponsored by Amazon): gone are Eric Staal, Alex Galchenyuk, Jason Zucker, Devan Dubnyk, Luke Kenin, Ryan Donato and even long-time captain Mikko Koivu, in are Cam Talbot, Marcus Johansson, Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstad, and Dakota Mermis... so far.

What makes their odds look good:
Talbot isn't a bad goalie, he had a Vezina-worthy season in 2016-17 - far enough to doubt, close enough for Wild fans to believe. Kevin Fiala, Mats Zuccarello, Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba are top-unit players, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter still play top-unit minutes, Marco Rossi and Matthew Boldy look like solid prospects and Kirill Kaprizov actually has a fair shot at a Calder Trophy with what he accomplished last season in the KHL (first in goals, third in points, All-Star at age 22, one of a handful of point-per-game players in the entire league).

Question marks:
Other teams have used Johansson as a middle-six forward, the Wild may not have that luxury, and it remains to be seen if he can produce at top-line level. Does Suter start breaking down now taht he's in his mid-30s? Will Parise get injured again? How many young guys steal jobs from veterans with their play?

Outlook:
Minnesota is clearly in a rebuild; Guerin wants veterans he knows and trusts to not disrupt the process and perhaps help win a few games here and there, but this roster is the middle-point in a huge turnover, and it's unclear who will be there three years from now save for Rossi and Boldy. Still, in a top-heavy and shallow West Division, the Wild have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot; they'll battle for fourth place with the Arizona Coyotes.

Prediction:
Fifth in the West Division, a point or two behind Arizona.

There was a loud minority clamoring for Koivu's departure online these past few years, but I've never seen it reflected in the larger realm of Wild fans. Instead, most praised his effort level and two-way (although more and more on the defensive side as the years went on) play and saw him as a fine captain, just perhaps overpaid in the twilight of his career. Because it seems too commonplace in today's NHL, I wasn't exactly shocked when Guerin announced #9 would not even be re-signed as a fourth-line center, but found it sad that a player of his stature who had played his entire career with the team and been the first player in franchise history to hit the 1000 mark (and scoring the shootout winner in the milestone game) would not be allowed to retire in green and red. Here he is wearing the team's original white (home) uniform on card #HM-MK from Fleer's 2007-08 Hot Prospects set and Hot Materials subset, manufactured by Upper Deck:
It features a nice, dark green ame-worn jersey swatch.

I believe he will get along fine with John Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Sharks Preview: Dalton Prout Autographed Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

One team that could use a little maneuvering is the San Jose Sharks (team links may earn me referral money if you buy from Amazon, player links lead to other posts on my blog): they are $4M under the salary cap with a near-empty prospect pool; their captain Logan Couture is 31, a Donald Trump fan, and signed for six years after this one at $8M per; star winger and scandal magnet Evander Kane is 29, signed until 2025 at $7M per year and just filed for bakruptcy; oft-injured defenseman Erik Karlsson, 30, will make $11.5M per season with a no-movement clause until 2027; 35-year-old Brent Burns will still carry a $9.8M cap hit for four more seasons after this one; Marc-Édouard Vlasic, 33, has a no-move as well and will pocket $7M until 2026; somehow, the team has nearly $8M between the pipes, just over $2M of Devan Dubnyk's final year and Martin Jones at $5.75M per, for three more years after the upcoming season. Most teams have one or two headaches, the Sharks seem intent on obtaining the most shots at a #1 draft pick for the next half-decade.

What makes their odds look good:
If Karlsson ever hits his peak level again, he's a definite game-changer, one of the best defensemen in the NHL and one of the best skaters in the world.

Question marks:
What was the point in Patrick Marleau returning? Can Dubnyk regain the form that should have gotten him a Hart or a Vezina Trophy in 2015? How low can they go?

Outlook:
There's a case to be made for nearly every NHL team that either the present can be hopeful or the future looks bright to some extent... I can't say that about San Jose, but I can remain optimistic becasue I just do not know them as well. I really haven't seen many of their games and their prospect pool is loaded with players I have never heard of, but upon a bit of research have been among the best at what they do, from John Leonard (22, LW, 37 points in 33 games at U-Mass) to Ryan Merkley (20, D, second-straight 70-point season in the OHL) to Brinson Pasichnuk (23, D, second-straight point-per-game season as Arizona State's captain). Still, that's just stuff I read, I don't recall seeing any of them play.

Prediction:
Eighth in the West Division.

You know who didn't deserve to get shelled by the Sharks after the 2019-20 season? Dalton Prout, who was concussed for most of the season after sacrificing himself for the team, like in this fight against Nicolas Deslauriers: Here he is as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, on card #530 from Panini's 2012-13 Score collection and Hot Rookies sub-set:
Not only does he also have a terrific "hockey name" in English (his native language), but it's also one of the best names in the league to French-speaking NHL fans, as the Daltons are a very famous fictitious criminal gang (very loosely based on historical characters) in the legendary Lucky Luke series of graphic novels and films, and "prout" is a funny word that can mean just about any "fun sound" from a car engine (struggling or not) to a honk to passing loud gas.

He sigend the card in blue sharpie in 2014-15 or 2015-16.

Monday, January 11, 2021

Panthers Preview: Noah Juulsen Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

New GM Bill Zito will get a chance to put his stamp on this roster with new Scouting Director Shane Churla, but make no mistake: this roster built by Dale Tallon will the the second one after the 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks that head coach Joel Quenneville will lead to Stanley Cup contention for another man.

What makes their odds look good:
The lineup that Tallon was able to put together that makes up this core is solid: captain Aleksander Barkov is one of the premier two-way #1 centers in the NHL and his linemate Jonathan Huberdeau is one of the most underrated forwards in the game; both have surpassed the 90-point mark in this scoring-depleted era; Aaron Ekblad is becoming the elite defender Tallon thought he would be; bad season or not (and it was bad), Sergei Bobrovsky remains the only active two-time Vezina winner and now knows what he has in front of him (and has François Allaire and Roberto Luongo to help fix his game); and there is good, young talent on the depth chart in Owen Tippett, Anton Lundell and Grigori Denisenko up-front, and Spencer Knight is one of the most highly-touted goaltending prospects in the world. All of that talent is not just "very good" but "elite".

Question marks:
Was Bob's season a one-off or the start of a decline? How quickly will Keith Yandle's own decline happen and will it force the team to buy out his contract? Who will back Bob up, Chris Driedger or Samuel Montembeault, and is either one ready to play at least once per week in this condensed schedule?

Outlook:
I've been on the Panthers train for years and like a bad gambler, I'm still looking at those pieces and feeling confident they can pull it together, and I like the gambles on young once-promising prospects Gustav Forsling (24, acquired on the waiver wire yesterday) and Noah Juulsen (23, acquired earlier today via waivers).

Prediction:
Fourth in the Central Division.

Yes, fourth, which is as much an indictment of the Nashville Predators' lack of offense and of the Minnesota Wild's unconvincing rebuild as a testament to the Panthers' (slow and) steady march towards respectability.

Which brings me to Juulsen, a late first-round pick (26th overall in 2015) by the Montréal Canadiens, following a near point-per-game season as a defenseman with the WHL's Everett Silvertips.

Juulsen is not the fastest skater by any means, but he gets where he needs to be in respectable time, is rarely out of a play or out of positiion and is willing to take a hit to make a play that he sees possible. He's very cerebral, a skill that tends to gain value for defensemen between the ages of 25 and 33 but that may show him a tenth of a second late in extreme-pressure situations before that - such as manning the point on the power play and keeping the puck in the zone against two opponents at once. His patience with the puck is appreciated, however.

For now, even though he played his first games as a 20-year-old, he's been hampered by vision and concussion issues from two seperate hits to the head (including a puck to the face) in the same game, so while he still holds first-round pedigree and youth, the focus should be in allowing him to feel comfortable enough to play in a highly-competitive environment again, something that would perhaps be better to learn in the AHL - still a development league, after all - than in the NHL, where some mercenaries play mean.

Here he is sporting the Habs' red (home) uniform on card #RM-J from Upper Deck's 2018-19 Series 2 collection and Rookie Materials sub-set:
It features a matching jersey swatch that the back of the card says "has been certified to The Upper Deck Company as having been worn by the featured player". I wonder how many lawyers were required to write and review that sentence.

Internationally, Juulsen has a silver medal with Team Canada from the World Juniors.

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Hawks Preview: Andrew Shaw Autographed Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith may not have been told in those words, but Chicago Blackhawks GM (and now President of Hockey Operations) Stan Bowman's moves for the past couple seasons have at least strongly hinted at the fact that he's in the rebuilding process, and trading away one #1 goalie (Robin Lehner) and not re-signing another (Corey Crawford) as well as parting with a defenseman as good as Erik Gustafsson could not have made it clearer. And one reason why is because its top stars (and former star defenseman Brent Seabrook) account for too much of the salary cap to be able to fix problems on the fly - it's the cost of building a team that wins three Stanley Cups and rewards loyalty with too much bargaining power.

What makes their odds look good:
Toews remains a very good two-way center, although no longer a Selke Trophy finalist per se due to the rise of Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers) and Phillip Danault (Montréal Canadiens); Kane remains one of the five or ten best forwards in the world; Alex DeBrincat's shooting percentage should be back at 10-12% this year, which will result in another very good offensive season; Pius Suter dominated in Switzerland - perhaps a strong middle-six showing in the NHL is in the books for him; 18-year-old Lukas Reichel was the second-best German player outside the NHL last year, we just aren't familiar enough with the DEL's rise yet to be able to place that accurately on the world/NHL spectrum, but going by Leon Draisaitl and the word on Tim Stützle, the country's made tremendous progress and may compare to the Swiss and Slovaks; Keith is slower but still relatively efficient; Dominik Kubalik looks solid; Ian Mitchell is ready to play against adults full-time, but may be a couple of years away from the NHL.

Question marks:
Are either of Malcolm Subban or Colin Delia ready for a #1 job in net? How long will Toews be out with his mysterious ailment? Is Dylan Strome more of a 0.6 or 0.75 point-per-game player? The answer is the difference between a #2 and #3 center and could force the Hawks to either need to make a trade or fast-track a rookie (say, Kirby Dach) to a spot they may not be ready for.

Outlook:
If the next coupe of years will be hard on Kane, Toews, and Keith, they'll help the organization rebuild relatively quickly so they can contend again in 2024-25; the hardest part (losing with a core that's being churned over) is nearly over, and the next step (losing via learning through mistakes) is just around the corner.

Prediction:
Seventh in the Central Division.

One feel-good story with the Hawks this year is Andrew Shaw's return from a concussion after 14 months. The two-time Cup winner who was diagnosed with ADD in 2016 can definitely still fill a leadership role on a middle-six and contribute offensively once in a while; after all, he had his best offensive season in 2018-19, posting 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists, +17, 71 penalty minutes) with the Canadiens, before getting traded back to Chicago.

Here he is wearing the Rockford IceHogs' red (away) uniform on card #212 from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set and AHL Rookie sub-set:
He signed it in blue sharpie in 2018-19.

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Devils Preview: Claude Lemieux Autographed Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The New Jersey Devils (team links may bring forth referral money for me) started off with 6 losses, then in December proceeded to lose 10 of 12, leading to the justified and overdue firing of head coach John Hynes, who inexplicably found employment with the Nashville Predators afterwards. Rookie coach Alain Nasreddine was able to garner points in 26 out of the team's final 38 games, but that wasn't enough for GM Tom Fitzgerald, who instead went with Old Boys' Club lifetime member Lindy Ruff to lead the team in a shortened season with little to no real training camp and no pre-season games, which is a huge mistake in my book (and yet another example of a French Canadian getting the shaft uselessly). Playing it "safe" may cost him in the end.

What makes their odds look good:
Oh, boy. There are players who are doing an ok job in a first-line role when they could perhaps be better used on a second line instead (Nico Hischier at this point in his career and Kyle Palmieri), terrific prospects up-front in Nolan Foote (20 years old, 6'4" and 200 pounds, three years from an NHL job and five from his prime), Alexander Holtz (18, 6'1", pro-level shot, needs two or three years in Europe and to add weight), Dawson Mercer (19, dominating in Juniors, three or four years away) and Jack Hughes (19, never should have made the team last year). On defense, Ty Smith (20, best defenseman in the WHL, two years from NHL job, five from his prime) is a great cornerstone to build upon, and P.K. Subban, Damon Severson and Will Butcher can each play much better than they did last year. Mackenzie Blackwood has looked like the real deal, mostly, compared to Cory Schneider.

Question marks:
Well, technically, everything written above was true. But Subban and Butcher could also continue stagnating; Subban in particular seems at a loss when not playing for high stakes (then again, when the guy who acquires you pretty much loses his job over it, the best player on the team wants to leave, and the fanbase is hoping to tank for a high draft pick, it's probably hard to find motivation). Is Pavel Zacha's niche as a third-line center? There are active first-rounders who have thrived after finding a home in the middle of the lineup after aiming for more prime minutes, such as Lars Eller with the Washington Capitals, so it's not unheard of, but it's a far cry from calling him the steal of his draft year, as former GM Ray Shero did. Points given for enthusiasm, (more) points taken for failing to manage expectations.

Outlook:
I thought the team was trending up, I really did. Adding Ryan Murray and Dmitri Kulikov on defense solidifies the back end, Andreas Johnsson didn't cost anything and is a solid second-liner, and adding Corey Crawford to platoon with Blackwood looked like a great idea... until he retired earlier this morning, less than 24 hours after taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. He had yet to play a single minute, and it's still the team's biggest loss since Ilya Kovalchuk. I'll give him a proper send-off later this year.

Prediction:
Eighth in the East.

The Devils have three Stanley Cups (1994-95, 1999-2000, and 2002-03), which they won on the strength of playing the trap and a trio of unique defensemen: the speedy Scott Niedermayer, the punishing Scott Stevens, and the bruising Ken Daneyko. Stevens won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2000 Final, and opposing goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguère from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim won it in 2003.

1995 was a different, special beast. It was a lockout-shortened season, for one, and the first since 1980 where a Canadian team didn't make it to a Conference Final: the most efficient playoff performer of all-time, Patrick Roy, missed the postseason cut for the only time of his career; the first seed in the East, the Québec Nordiques, were ousted in the first round by the defending champion New York Rangers, opting to play rookie Jocelyn Thibault in a high-pressure situation he perhaps wasn't ready for; the Philadelphia Flyers plowed through Dominik Hasek and his Buffalo Sabres before sweeping the Rangers, while the West saw multiple sweeps leading to the Cup Final, but the fast-skating Detroit Red Wings of Sergei Fedorov, Paul Coffey, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Nicklas Lidstrom were unable to get through the wall of D at the Devils' blue line, and a certain Claude Lemieux, who they would get to know much better in the next five years as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, led all playoff skaters with 13 goals, including a couple in the Final, one of them a game-winner.

This is what he looked like wearing the Devils' red (away) uniform:
That's card #258 from Upper Deck's 1995-96 Series 1 set and Mike Milbury's Scouting Report sub-set, because you really want "Mad" Mike Milbury's take on players... here's what he had to say about Lemieux:
I've been prone to hyperbole myself and, sure, a case can be made for Hall Of Fame consideration when it comes to Lemieux, but to deem him to have Hart Trophy potential in prime Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Dominik Hasek, and Fedorov era, and even compared to his own Avs teammates the following year in Roy, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg is, well, madness.

Friday, January 8, 2021

Stars Preview: John Klingberg Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The Dallas Stars are the hardest-hit team from the Covid-19 pandemic, with six players so far having confirmed positive tests, and two staff members hit as well; this might actually be a blessing in disguise for the team, as both star center Tyler Seguin and #1 goalie Ben Bishop are out long-term with injuries, which is why I have them outside the playoff picture looking in, despite their reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season. However, a ten-day delay to the start of their season gives the two star players nearly two weeks of leeway where they won't miss any games, which helps Dallas' chances greatly.

What makes their odds look good:
The fact that they reached the Final just a few months ago tells you this team now has depth, grit, defense and goaltending, probably solid team chemistry and very good coaching as well. They just need their offensive weapons to produce more so the senior executives don't lash out at them in the press.

Question marks:
Although... it is fair to wonder if we're all asking too much of Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov, as they're now over 30 with years of hard, physical hockey taking its toll on their bodies - and the same can be said for 28-year-old Seguin, who has a couple of deep Cup runs under his belt. And Joe Pavelski will eventually start showing his own age (36) as well.

Outlook:
With Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg, the Stars pack a one-two punch on defense that compares favourably with anyone else in the NHL; the offense can change, but they have a certainty on D that has them set for the next decade. All they need is to renew the goaltending and first line in due time and ride the studs. There are interesting prospects up-front, with Radek Faksa, Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov making for an interesting middle-six core and possibly Ty Dellandrea as the lone future star in the lot, but the D is going to be their bread and butter, with Thomas Harley, 19, also developping nicely in Juniors.

Prediction:
Fifth in the Central Division.

Initial rumours had Dallas in the West in lieu of the Minnesota Wild, and I would have seen them make the playoffs there, but when I made my predictions and saw that Seguin wouldn't be back until March and Bishop until May, I thought the blow would be too hard to come back from and that the Florida Panthers would jump ahead. The condensed make-up schedule might be what does them in, at the end of the day.

Normally, the offensively-gifted, smooth-skating Klingberg should be good for some 50-60 points in an 82-game season - he had a high of 67 in 2017-18 - and many were disappointed that he was only able to accumulate 32 (from 6 goals and 26 assists) in 58 games last year, but he more than made up for that with 21 points in 26 playoff games, good for second in team scoring behind Heisnanen's 26 (in 27 games); it was the second straight year Klingberg put up impressive postseason numbers, having posted 9 points in 13 games in 2018-19.

Here he is wearing the Stars' white (away) uniform on card #GJ-KL from Upper Deck's 2016-17 Series 1 set and UD Game Jersey sub-set, featuring a matching game-worn jersey swatch:
Internationally, he plays for Team Sweden and already has three gold medals on his resume, from the 2012 World Juniors and 2017 and 2018 World Championships.

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Bruins Preview: Patrice Bergeron Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

One team that saw its situation get more problematic with the realignment this year is the Boston Bruins, who go from being one of two powerhouse teams in the Atlantic with the Tampa Bay Lightning and be nearly assured of at least one round of home ice advantage in the playoffs to joining the Metropolitan with perennial division winners Washington Capitals, contenders Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL's best-coached team (the New York Islanders), recent two-time Stanley Cup winners Pittsburgh Penguins, two teams that are nearing the end of their rebuilds in the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, and the New Jersey Devils. With Brad Marchand possibly still suffering from a serious injury to some extent and Rocket Richard Trophy co-winner David Pastrnak set to miss six weeks (i.e. close to half the season), the Bs will be fighting for their spot all year.

What makes their odds look good:
They still have the best goaltending duo in the league in Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, for starters, so regardless of the team in front of them, they will always be in the game; Patrice Bergeron is still a two-way wonder, the middle-six is a solid if unimpressive blue collar-type of mix that always seems to fare well in Boston, and Bruce Cassidy has done a masterful job since taking over behind the bench in 2017.

Question marks:
With Bergeron still on board, I don't really fear a leadership "void" with the absence of Zdeno Chara on the blue line, as the giant's role had diminshed a lot in recent years with the steady play of Torey Krug and the rise of Charlie McAvoy, but don't sleep on Brandon Carlo, who is effective when on his game. Still, this is a defense that compares more with that of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets than the Flyers'. And Pastrnak's goals will be hard to replace.

Outlook:
The Flyers and Capitals are in a zone of their own, the Devils are a mess, theSabres' goaltending will sink them, the Rangers are clmbing and Pens are falling, which leaves the Bruins and Isles as the above average teams that should make the playoffs. But missing them and obtaining a high draft pick in a contract year for Rask that would bring his value down and getting back at it next year while essentially riding Pastrnak's injury out wouldn't be the end of the world, either.

Prediction:
Fourth in the Metro.

What was the sense since 2006 until concussion issues derailed his early career and Chara took the actual "C" actually came to fruition today when Bergeron was named the team's 20th captain, and only the fourth Quebecer to earn the title after Sprague Cleghorn (1925-27), Léo Boivin (1963-1966) and Ray Bourque (1985-2000). Here he is wearing the Bruins' white jersey on card #TS-BE from Upper Deck's 2012-13 Artifacts collection and Treasured Swatched sub-set:
It features two matching game-worn jersey swatches. I got it in a trade a couple of years ago.

At this point, Bergeron is tied with Bob Gainey with four career Selke trophies, the award for best defensive forward. He looks poised for a Hall Of Fame nod at the end of his career.

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Coyotes Preview: Steve Sullivan Autographed Card

(team and product links go to sponsored Amazon products, player links go to related pages on my blog, news links go to source pages)

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

It's pretty easy to cast the Arizona Coyotes as a write-off or even a joke, as a team that simply shouldn't exist because it always lies in some kind of limbo, usually financial but also via pyramid-scheme-like ownership struggles, criminal behaviour and having no city to call home. However, despite all this, year in and year out, 25 to 30 professional hockey players do their best most of the time, and sometimes they have results to show for it, such as making the playoffs last year. After years of building through analytics and a seemingly communist approach of "everyone gets a six-year, $5M dollar deal", GM John Chayka gambled one time too many with Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall, then doubled down accepting a job with a competing organization while still under contract and was replaced... twice, in true Coyotes fashion.

What makes their odds look good:
Despite a sub-par season from Kessel (14 goals and 38 points in 70 games) and winning only 14 of 35 games after trading for Hall while giving up no roster player, Arizona managed to make it to the postseason. The goaltending duo of Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta rivals that of any team in the NHL, even Stanley Cup finalists Dallas Stars, a hair behind the Boston Bruins. If you can keep the puck out of your net, half the work's already done.

Question marks:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson hasn't looked as passionate about playing in the Desert since they tacked the captain's "C" on his chest, ironically; there was even some trade drama during the entire offseason. Is Jakob Chychrun ready to take on a first-pair role? Which young players among Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, Conor Garland, Christian Dvorak, and Lawson Crouse can take on a prominent, perennial-All-Star role to lead the team to a deep run?

Outlook:
There are a lot of promising prospects on the team, but there seems to be a general lack of direction and identity. Still, year in and year out, the Coyotes' skaters give the middle of the pack a run for their money.

Prediction:
Fourth in the West Division.

I mentionned earlier Chayka being replaced twice... the drama hit right as the Yotes were preparing to enter the Edmonton bubble last summer, and regardlesss whether he quit or was fired, he still had to be replaced, so former player Steve Sullivan, who was assistant-GM, took over the mantle... for a month. He was then replaced by St. Louis Blues assistant-GM Bill Armstrong, but stayed on as assistant afterwards.

Sullivan's used to having to work hard for recognition; in the Dead Puck Era, when 20-goal seasons were considered excellent, he reached that mark for eight seasons in a row and even hit 30 twice - his 34 being second only to Tony Amonte's 35 on the Chicago Blackhawks in 2000-01, as his 75 points were 11 more than Amonte's 64 and his +3 rating was miles ahead of Amonte's -22, and his 31 goals with the Nashville Predators tied Paul Kariya for the team lead in 2005-06, but was achieved in 13 fewer games - and yet Sullivan never played in an All-Star Game and only suited up for Team Canada at two World Championships (2010 and 2011) where the country didn't really have a shot at a medal. The knock on him was usually his size (5'9" and 165 pounds), but it never stopped him from being a productive forward even when 6'4" defensemen were allowed to clutch and grab to defend their zone. Lucky for him (and us fans), he has a lot of fight in him.

Here he is wearing the Hawks' black (alternate/third) uniform from 1996-2009 on card #19 from Upper Deck's 2000-01 SP Authentic set:
He signed it in blue sharpie in 2008-09 or 2009-10 while with the Preds, either during his Bill Masterton Trophy-winning season or fresh off having just won it.

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Ducks Preview: John Gibson Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The Anaheim Ducks' rebuild is taking longer than expected because the likes of Sam Steel, Max Jones and Troy Terry have been unable to have enough of an impact at the NHL level to steal ice time away from Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Rickard Rackell and Jakob Silfverberg, and the team's nucleus remained at the 40-point mark; the team's overall offense ranked at the bottom-three of the NHL in most categories for the third year in a row.

What makes their odds look good:
John Gibson is one goalie who can give Connor Hellebuyck a run for his money as the best goaltender in the world. Trevor Zegras (thirs in NCAA rookie points), Maxime Comtois (second on the San Diego Gulls in points per game), and Jamie Drysdale (point-per-game defenseman in the OHL at 17 years old) look like solid prospects.

Question marks:
Is GM Bob Murray too close to his players and too committed to keeping them? Is Dallas Eakins an NHL-level head coach? Is Kevin Shattenkirk going to be able to be the guy in Anaheim when he couldn't be with the New York Rangers?

Outlook:
Whether they want to admit it or not, the Ducks have been rebuilding since 2015, trading veterans for younger talent, and either missing the playoffs altogether (2018-19, 2019-20) or getting ousted in the first round(2015-16, 2017-18). They just haven't been able to develop their young talent into elite players the way other teams have.

Prediction:
Seventh in the West Division.

Last season notwithstanding because of injuries and Covid-19, Gibson has been one of the best goalies in the NHL since joining the league full-time in 2015-16, with elite save percentages (.920, .924, .926, .917) despite playing in 3000 minutes in three of those seasons, the 2017-18 season being particularly brutal on that front, posting a 2.43 goals-against average and a 25.3 goals saved above average mark in 60 starts, for 1733 saves and a .926 save percentage to show for it. His 31-18-7 record that year was mind-boggling and he should have finished third in Hart voting, behind Nathan MacKinnon (who should have won) and Taylor Hall (who actually did). He also should have been in the running for the Vezina, with Hellebuyck and Marc-André Fleury (Pekka Rinne won it).

I believe he will be the reason Anaheim doesn't linger in the Western Division cellar, probably with a save percentage around .925 and some 20 wins and maybe 3 or 4 shutouts in the shortened season. He's simply that good. Here he is wearing the Ducks' black (home) uniform, on card #46 (Red Rainbow Jersey Parallel) from Upper Deck's 2019-20 Allure collection, featuring a matching game-worn jersey swatch:
I got it on Ebay for less than $10.

Monday, January 4, 2021

Pens Preview: Maxime Talbot Autographed Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have done an amazing job of rebuilding on the fly, particularly after the departure of GM Ray Shero; sure, Jim Rutherford inherited Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-André Fleury and Kris Letang in their prime, but Shero had failed to complement them with pieces that would help them remain contenders while strapped by the salary cap, whereas Rutherford was able to add value on the wings in his first two weeks, by trading James Neal for Patric Hornqvist, for instance. And whenever a signing or trade didn't work out, you could count on Rutherford to move the player within a year, usually to everyone's satisfaction. On the surface, this hasn't changed; however, this season is going to be unique, and the Pens are in the same division as Stanley Cup contenders Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins, plus Barry Trotz' New York Islanders, all of whom would normally be locks for the playoffs - and that's not counting the up-and-coming New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. A very good team is going to miss the cut this year, and I have a feeling it might be Pittsburgh.

What makes their odds look good:
Crosby, Malkin and Letang are still there, while Fleury made way for Matt Murray, who was pushed out himself by Tristan Jarry by the end of the 2019-20 season. Bryan Rust can score 30 goals even in a shortened season, Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker can score 20 - which, pro-rated to an 82-game schedule, would be 30 - and John Marino is ready for prime time on defense.

Question marks:
The thing with goalies is how unpredictable the position has shown to be in the last 10-15 years; even the best in the world have off years, and they usually take a little longer than before (mid-to-late 20s instead of 23-25 years old) to be ready, so Jarry holding up is a toss-up; I also question the team's depth, but head coach Mike Sullivan has shown to be better than I anticipated at making the most of what he has.

Outlook:
I do not fear for Pittsburgh; whenever Crosby, Malkin and Letang inch out of their primes, there will be someone ready to take their place; one might say Marino is already there to cover for Letang. It's just that this particular season might be a write-off.

Prediction:
Fifth in the Metro/East Division.

Even in the Shero era, the Penguins made great use of depth player, none more so than Maxime Talbot, an 8th-round pick (234th overall) in 2002. Needless to say, if there was a re-do, he would probably be selected between 22nd and 45th overall, as he ranks 24th in point production and 17th in games played, and there were a few notable goalies available that year, such as Cam Ward (25th overall), Kari Lehtonen (2nd), Curtis McElhinney (176th), Josh Harding (38th), Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (31st) and Hannu Toivonen (29th).

Talbot started turning heads right after being drafted, as he was named the LHJMQ's Hull/Gatineau Olympiques's captain thereafter, and led the team to consecutive league chamionships, winning the playoff MVP title both times; it was a sign of things to come, as he would wear the alternate captain's "A" in Pittsburgh, partly on the strength of terrific playoff performaces, including scoring both goals as they won Game 7 of the 2009 Final against the Detroit Red Wings. Talbot was such a clutch playoff performer that he would routinely finish in the minuses in the regular season and yet, in much fewer games, be in the pluses in the playoffs:
He was also known for scoring shorthanded goals, as 8 of his first 30 in the NHL were scored down a man; he even scored four goals against Pittsburgh in the 2012 playoffs while playing with the Philadelphia Flyers, two of which came shorthanded. All told, 16 of his career 91 regular-season goals came down at least a man, and he had 14 game-winners as well; in the playoffs, 4 of his 18 goals were game-winners.

Here is is wearing the Penguins' black (home) uniform from 2002-16, on card #233 from Upper Deck's 2008-09 Power Play boxed set:
He signed it in blue sharpie during his time with the Bruins (2014-16). He then moved on to the KHL, where he played under Bob Hartley for the Avangard Omsk in his final season in 2018-19.

Sunday, January 3, 2021

Blues Preview: Vladimir Tarasenko Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and had only lost a handful of support players to defend their title prior to last season - Joel Edmundson and hometown hero Patrick Maroon - but this time around, losing captain Alex Pietrangelo, retiree Jay Bouwmeester, free agent Troy Brouwer and goalie Jake Allen makes for a greater impact on paper, even though the team remains solid and among the best in a top-heavy but shallow West division. Nearly as significant is the loss of Vladimir Tarasenko to a long-term injury, although he could be back in time for the playoffs, which would be a huge boost.

What makes their odds look good:
They still have 15 players who won a Cup just 18 months ago, including Jaden Schwartz, Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron, Brayden Schenn, Samuel Blais, Colton Parayko and Jordan Binnington. They also replaced Pietrangelo with Torey Krug, who was on the Boston Bruins team the Blues faced in that Final, with a four-point game to show for it.

Question marks:
Is Justin Faulk a fit on this team, or will he get traded before the end of the season? Which is the real Binnington - the one from the 2019 or the 2020 playoffs?

Outlook:
There is no need to worry about missing the playoffs, but playing in the same division as the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights means that making it past the second round is going to be extremely difficult and exhausting.

Prediction:
Third in the West Division.

Back to Tarasenko, who underwent his third shoulder surgery in three years last September and will be out until the end of March. He had 10 points in 10 games in 2019-20, which is a better scoring rate than he's ever achieved over a full season, so at age 29, he really is in his prime, but despite having posted five straight 30-goal seasons (with a high of 40 in 2015-16), he still falls short of what was expected of him: 50-goal seasons and chanllenging Alex Ovechkin for the scoring crown; part of that can be attributed to Tarasenko also developing as a passer (he is usually at no more than a 10 goals-to-assists ratio difference at the end of any given season), whereas Ovie is definitely a shoot-only type of player, but it also has to do with the Blues' historically defensive style of play. Tarasenko will likely never win a Selke Trophy, but he has less leeway than his Team Russia teammate in his own zone. We'll see if there are any long-term consequences to his surgery in the next couple of years.

Here he is sporting the Blues' white (away) uniform on the jersey insert version of card #11 from Upper Deck's 2017-18 SPX set:
It features a game-worn dark blue jersey swatch that is probably from the Blues' blue (home) jersey. I got it in a trade for a few in-person autograph cards before realizing it could be purchased for $5-10 on Ebay. Internationally, Tarasenko has a gold medal from the 2011 World Juniors and silver from the 2008 U18s, 2009 Hlinka Cup, and 2015 World Championships.

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Caps Preview: John Carlson Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

The Washington Capitals have been a powerhouse for the better part of the last decade, with captain Alex Ovechkin proving to be an unstoppable goal-scoring machine despite the entire world knowing exactly how, where and when he will set up to shoot, almost every single time. He has the best release of all-time, and is the only serious contender for Wayne Gretzky's career goal-scoring record (because the season record of 92 cannot be achieved under current rules and quality goaltending). But the Caps are more than a one-trick pony, they're a recent Stanley Cup-winning team who has won its division for as long as I can remember on the strength of secondary scoring (Nicklas Backstrom, Jakub Vrana of late, Evgeny Kuznetsov before him), production from the blue line (Mike Green in the past, John Carlson in stunning fashion nowadays) and opportune elite-level goaltending. And just as Braden Holtby seemed to hit a decline, in came youngster Ilya Samsonov to save the day.

What makes their odds look good:
Ovechkin has shown to be a true leader on the ice; he can carry and inspire a team. It's just that his teammates shouldn't follow him into his off-ice adventures, because he is a unique physical specimen and not everyone is built to sustain his lifestyle that seemingly never includes sleep. The offensive depth remains as strong as ever, too, with T.J. Oshie and Lars Eller providing some appreciated stability while Tom Wilson has evolved from merely a trouble-maker to an actual point-producing threat. And say what you will about Carlson's lack of finish in his own zone, that's where Dmitri Orlov, Brenden Dillon, and Michal Kempny shine, and newcomer Trevor Van Riemsdyk can hold his own as well. Samsonv has looked solid between the pipes, although it's always dangerous to just hand the reigns to a young goalie.

Question marks:
Can Samsonov hold his own with no safety net? Also, count me among those who were unimpressed with the Caps' showing in last summer's playoffs. It was a dismal effort, and hopefully new head coach Peter Laviolette can keep his stars motivated.

Outlook:
Those are not many question marks, because this team remains stacked despite the departures of Holtby, trade deadline acquisition Ilya Kovalchuk, Radko Gudas, Travis Boyd and Tyler Lewington. I actually had them winning the division at first before I opted to put the Philadelphia Flyers slightly ahead, if only for a change of scenery up top.

Prediction:
Second in the East/Metro Division.

And we revert back to Carlson, who would have been my pick for the Norris Trophy. I understand Roman Josi and Victor Hedman are better all-round players (and Hedman made it especially clear in the Tampa Bay Lightning's Cup run), but what Carlson has accomplished for three straight seasons is the type of stuff that warrants recognition, and Josi will likely have at least another couple more cracks at it, whereas if Carlson couldn't win it after posting a 15-goal, 75-point season (in just 69 games) to lead the Capitals - of all teams - in scoring, then he never will.

Here he is wearing Washigton's red (home) Rbk Edge uniform from a decade ago on card #GJ-JO from Upper Deck's 2011-12 Series 1 collection and UD Game Jersey sub-set:
It features a white game-worn jersey swatch.

Internationally, Carlson plays for Team USA, with whom he won gold at the 2010 World Juniors (on a strong team that included Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan) but fell short at the 2014 Olympics and 2016 World Cup.