Wild Preview: Brian Rolston 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: Unlike in the distant past where I would post different texts on this collectibles blog and my personal one, I've been using a new format for the past couple of years, where I'll copy the same text on each one. As a father of two young kids, I just do not have enough time to write two separate posts per day on each blog. This year again, the entire scope of the analysis will take place first and the featured player will have a direct or perhaps indirect connection to what's written, below.

Caveats: At this point, despite training camp being set to start in a couple of weeks, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) three star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much left to do.

Key exits: Marcus Johansson (LW), Mats Zuccarello (RW), Jacob Middleton (D), Vladimir Tarasenko (LW), Jeff Petry (D), Robby Fabbri (C), Nicolas Aubé-Kubel (RW)

Key Arrivals: Olli Maatta (D), Calvin Pickard (G), Maxim Shabanov (RW), Blake Coleman (C), Justin Kirkland (C)

Top prospects: Charlie Stramel (C, 21), Adam Benak (C, 19), Riley Heidt (C, 21), Ryder Ritchie (RW, 20), David Spacek (D, 23)

For a team whose only solution as a top-six centre is Joel Eriksson-Ek, the Minnesota Wild sure have a lot of prospects that play the position...

What makes their odds look good:
There is elite talent at nearly every position, from Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy at forward, Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber on defense, and Jesper Wallstedt in net. General Manager Bill Guerin is fearless.

Question marks:
Head coach John Hynes has never won a championship in 18 seasons of coaching professional hockey; can this stacked team break the streak? But let's be real: the only valid questions are whether they will be able to re-sign and keep Quinn or be forced to trade him, and if they can acquire the rights to Dylan Larkin to keep stacking their Team USA stable.

Outlook:
For the second year in a row, the three best teams in the Western Conference play in the Central Division, which is to say that there is no shame in finishing third in the division behind fellow powerhouses like the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche - with or without Hughes, with or without a bona fide #1 or extra #2 centre.

Prediction:
3rd in the Central Division.

Brian Rolston is a decorated winner, having won the Stanley Cup in his first NHL season with the New Jersey Devils in 1994-95, and through Team USA: 1996 World Cup, 2002 Olympic silver medal, 1992 World Juniors bronze, and 1996 World Championship bronze medal.

Individually, he has finished in the Top-10 in Selke Trophy voting four times and represented the Wild in the 2006-07 All-Star Game, scoring two goals with two assists for four points. He is widely known for using his slap shot from the slot in shootout and penalty shots, after a recommendation from then-cooach Jacques Lemaire, who had already used his booming shot from the point on powerplays, both with the Devils and Wild.

Back when Minnesota alternated the captaincy (2000-09), Rolston's turn came many times: February, October and November 2006, as well as January and November 2007; this is what is reflected here, on card #46 from Fleer's 2008-09 Fleer Ultra set, manufactured by Upper Deck:

It's signed in thick blue sharpie, and shows him wearing the Wild's red (home) uniform for parts of that era. Of note, it was actually the third/alternate jersey from 2003-07, before Reebok decided to use it as the main home jersey with the introduction of their Rbk Edge series, adding piping around the shoulders (one of the rare instances where the piping added something positive to a design); the jersey would be abandoned when Adidas took over manufacturing before the 2017-18 season.