Brayden Schenn Jersey Card

For a while, it seemed that Brayden Schenn was more of a talented trade chip than a player teams wanted to build around; the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers (each team with Ron Hextall as one of the top two decision-makers) both moved him while seemingly building contenders - the Kings went on to win two Stanley Cups, the Flyers were slowly being built into a potential powerhouse when Hextall was fired.

After a career year in 2017-18 where he accumulated 70 points (11 more than his previous best), Schenn reverted back to his mean by posting 54 points in 2018-19, taking over second-line duties while Ryan O'Reilly took the ice time on the top line. Schenn slowly and steadily plowed through, like the rest of his teammates, starting the New Year in last place and winning the final game of the NHL season.

That's right: Brayden Schenn, Stanley Cup champion. Before his former Flyers teammates.

And he celebrated in style, riding through Saskatoon on top of a firetruck with his father:

Now seems like a good time to feature him wearing the St. Louis Blues' garbs, more specifically the blue (home) uniform, with matching game-worn jersey swatch:

That's card #GJ-BR from Upper Deck's 2018-19 Series 1 set and UD Game Jersey sub-set. The scan doesn't really do it justice though, as both the picture and swatch are much darker to the naked eye, and the yellows are much sharper as well. It's truly a great-looking piece I was glad I landed.

Brayden Schenn Autograph Card

Last summer, Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall made an unexpected move when he traded 26-year-old center Brayden Schenn for Jori Lehtera and two first-round draft picks (and possibly a third-rounder as well).

By usual standards, Schenn, coming off a second consecutive 25-goal season, was either a year into his prime or about to enter the most productive years of his career, but he had also never reached the 60-point mark, and he played center - a position the Flyers were strong in, with captain Claude Giroux in need of easier starts, Sean Couturier requiring more ice time to take on the #2C role he was groomed and drafted for, and second-overall pick Nolan Patrick also playing the position and being counted on to make the team.

Thus, the perhaps-overrated Schenn (whom Hextall had drafted while an assistant-GM with the Los Angeles Kings in 2009) was deemed expendable, and the haul was impressive. It's the type of return fit for a #1B center like Matt Duchene or Kyle Turris and, in all honesty, Schenn wasn't there yet.

But he is now. After scoring a hat trick against the Montréal Canadiens last night, he stands at more than a point-per-game average so far this season, with roughly a third of the year having passed. Sure, it helps to play with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, but Schwartz is also posting career-best numbers so far, so the fit was right on all sides for the St. Louis Blues.

Schenn even allowed himself a late hit on former teammate Couturier in November.

He's looking like an All-Star so far, and his plus/minus is close to his points total, which marks a big departure from his being a powerplay specialist in Philadelphia. If he keeps it up, he could finish the season upwards of +50.

Here he is sporting Team Canada's white (home) uniform, on the signed insert card #US-BS from Upper Deck's 2011-12 Ultimate Collection set and Ultimate Signatures sub-set, featuring a blue-sharpied on-card signature with his jersey number (10) tagged at the end:

He's worn the maple leaf on multiple occasions, winning gold medals at the 2008 World U17 and U18 Championships and the 2015 World Championships, and two silver medals at the World Juniors (2010 and 2011), and another one at the 2017 World Championships. He was also on the squad that finished fifth at the 2014 World Championships.

Brayden Schenn Autograph Card

It looks like the Philadelphia Flyers and Brayden Schenn won't go to arbitration after all; indeed, the 24-year-old former fifth-overall pick (by the Los Angeles Kings, 2009) signed a four-year deal that will earn him an average of $5.125M each year.

Of note, current Flyers GM Ron Hextall was the Kings' assistant-GM when Schenn was drafted, so you'd think he figures in his team's long-term plans.

Schenn reached the 50-point mark for the first time in 2015-16, finishing with career highs in goals (26), assists (33) and, of course, points (59). His best point-per-game average came in the 2011-12 playoffs, when he had 9 points in 11 games, which is good news for other Flyers forwards such as Jakob Voracek, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Wayne Simmonds and, to a lesser extent, Matt Read and Scott Laughton, who seem to have stalled a bit in their development.

Here he is wearing Philly's classic/retro orange (now-home) uniform, on card #96-SC from Upper Deck's 2012-13 Fleer Retro set (part of the 1996-97 Skybox Autographics throwback design sub-set):

He looks a little stoned (or very tired) in the picture, which might have been funnier if he was shown with the Kings instead of the Flyers...

Brayden Schenn Swatch Card

You can't say things have gone particularly well for the Philadelphia Flyers this season, but that was to be expected when Kimmo Timonen was lost for the season with blood clot issues; the team was already depth-deprived on the back end (a situation that will get better in the next few years with three solid prospects coming up, but this year and the next will prove difficult, with sub-par talent past Mark Streit and Braydon Coburn, who themselves are no longer quite at their peak).

So the team was going to have to score a lot of goals to win a lot of games - and they just haven't. Many have pointed to certain players (Vincent Lecavalier more often than not, though I still believe he can be useful when cast in the right part), but Jeremy Roenick seems to think the Flyers should trade away their promising young forwards Sean Couturier, Matt Read and Brayden Schenn, because they aren't ''consistent''.

A lot of people seem to be expecting more of Schenn in particular, the fifth-overall pick of the 2009 draft - ahead of the likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6th), Nazem Kadri (7th), Nick Leddy (16th), Simon Després (30th), Kyle Clifford (35th), Jakob Silfverberg (39th), Jeremy Morin (45th), Robin Lehner (46th), Brandon Pirri (59th), Tomas Tatar (60th), Tyson Barrie (64th), David Savard (94th), Craig Smith (98th), Marcus Foligno (104th), Sami Vatanen (106th), Mike Hoffman (130th), Gabriel Dumont (139th), and Darcy Kuemper (161st). And they're quick to point out that it's been nearly five years.

Except consistency isn't an issue: he has 10 goals and 27 points in 45 games so far this season, pretty much the exact amount (8 goals and 26 points in 47 games) as in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, and practically the same pace as last season's 41 points (though on 20 goals) in 82 games.

Also, the kid's barely 23 years old - he was born in August, allowing him to be drafted among a class of players much older than he is. 40 points a year not playing on a first line two or three years before hitting their prime (generally ages 25 to 32 for forwards) is pretty impressive to me.

Also, he's barely a minus-2 this season - on the injury-and-depth-deprived Flyers. 29 other teams would want his services should the Flyers decide to pass, even the Los Angeles Kings, who traded him to Philadelphia in the first place (along with Wayne Simmonds, for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson).

He might not have the hardest or most accurate shot, nor the best vision and passing ability, but he skates well and fast, his acceleration is impressive, and he'll plow his way through with force to get the puck where he wants it to, be it on someone's else's stick or behind the opposition's goalie. The more experience, confidence and bulk he gains in the next couple of years, the truer that last sentence will become. I'm not saying he's the next Ryan Getzlaf, but if you can't afford the actual guy (or, considering he's already taken and signed to a long-term contract), getting Schenn won't hurt your feelings so much.

All those reasons explain why I haven't yet traded this beautiful die-cast 2011-12 Crown Royale card by Panini (#18 in the Heirs To The Throne sub-set) despite not having any other ''special'' card of his in my collection (from what I recall):

It features him wearing the Flyers' current/retro orange (home) uniform, with a white game-worn swatch.