Matt Stajan Swatch Card

I mentioned a couple of years ago how I thought Matt Stajan's ideal role on a team was where he was used as a secondary source of offense, and in that role he could be counted on to provide 30-some points and steady play.

Well, with the emergence of Sean Monahan and other young centers on the rise with the Calgary Flames, that's exactly where he is now, the glue keeping the team together, just a tad removed from the spotlight he once held with the Toronto Maple Leafs, though with today's metrics measuring zone starts and quality of opposition, he's receiving some of the praise he deserves.

And so it was fitting that after terrible hardships, he was the one who eliminated the Vancouver Canucks a few months ago, enabling the Flames to reach the second round with yet another come-from-behind win, the first time in 11 years Calgary had made it past their first playoff challenge. And, as a former Leaf, he'd only seen three postseason games in his career before that.

At 6'1'' and 192 pounds, he's not a giant by any means, but he's fairly solid physically, as can be attested by his leaving Corey Perry limping after an accidental contact. And so it's fitting that this card would show him bracing for an upcoming collision:

It's card #TC-SJN from Panini's 2013-14 Totally Certified set and Red Jersey sub-set. It features a game-worn red jersey swatch, and depicts him with the team's white (away) uniform.

He's just 31 years old, so I envision his staying consistent in his point production if he can stay healthy and lucky enough to play at least 65-70 games per season. He's still got the qualities and drive to fill in on top lines for a short while, but he just may have found his niche on this current Flames squad letting the kids take control and just stepping in at clutch times to show them how the Hockey Gods reward hard-working players.