Matt Stajan: 5 Autographed Items

There are many things I don't get about Matt Stajan, and they all have to do with other people's perceptions of him.

I don't understand Leaf fans who thought he was a top-line center (although those expectations can come from being a second-round pick), and I don't get Calgary fans who think he's a disappointment.

I've always seen him as a reliable second-liner, a better passer than scorer (he's never scored more than 16 goals, but gotten at least 14 five different times) who, when playing with average players, can get 30-some points, and can reach 50 when surrounded with better talent, say filling in for an injured player, or getting good powerplay minutes.

It may have been unfair to him to have been the key player going back to the Calgary Flames when the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Dion Phaneuf, but that's not his fault, and in his defense, Phaneuf's stock value had fallen somewhat.

I'd sent Stajan 5 cards on March 19th, 2012 - he kept two and signed the rest in black sharpie, adding the correct jersey number on each card - 14 with the Leafs, 18 with the Flames - but he also signed both of the insert cards I included to protect the cards, so I still ended up with 5 signed items, so all's good.

Here are the cards he sent back, first with the Leafs:

From Upper Deck's 2005-06 SP Authentic set (card #95), sporting the white (home) jersey they spent most of the 2000s in (with the TML on the shoulders):

And from Upper Deck's 2009-10 Victory set (card #180), the third jersey from a few seasons ago, with the stylized leaf crest:

Finally, one with the Flames, from Panini's 2010-11 Score (card #103):

The Flames' white (away) uniform - as seen here - is one of the few where the piping doesn't make me gag. Part of that's probably due to its only being subtle on the sleeves, leaving the chest well alone. I also dig the team's 30th anniversary logo on the chest.