Jason Demers Autograph Card

When the Dallas Stars sent 6'4'' hard negotiator Brenden Dillon to the San Jose Sharks for Jason Demers last November, they were letting go of some size and youth for a proven right-hander who can contribute to the tune of roughly 30 points per season on a second pair, a regular-season-winner who could help instill a culture of winning to his new organization.

The Dorval, Qc native went undrafted in his first two tries but was chosen by the Sharks in the 7th round in 2008, though they could have used that pick on an 18-year-old and invited him to their rookie camp as a free agent anyway.

And yet by the 2009-10 season, he was playing in 51 games for San Jose, registering 21 points and earning the nickname ''Daddy''...

He isn't shy about body-to-body contact and prefers having the puck in the other team's zone, which he can help happen with nice passes and decent skating skills. He's so well-rounded that he often goes unnoticed, but he usually makes his defensive partner better - which in the case of Jordie Benn last season, was noticeable.

The only thing he seems to do half-assed is sign cards, apparently, though it's unclear if this one is at the tail end of a run of 1000 in the same day:

It's card #A-JD from Upper Deck's 2012-13 Artifacts set and Autofacts sub-set, and has a blue-sharpied sticker autograph that is basically a ''J'' and a line. I found this card along with another one from the same sub-set in a box a couple of months ago; I guess I'd stashed them because to me, they don't have the visual quality I usually expect from the Artifacts sets, as the head shots are a bit bland and show very little of the jerseys (my pet peeve), with a busy-and/yet-slightly-tacky overall design.

But I was glad to pull a Demers, who I really like as a defenseman.