Henrik Sedin Printing Plate

I purchased two boxes of cards on Upper Deck E-Pack on Black Friday and, as I mentioned yesterday, the first one got me my first One-Of-One and first Printing Plate, of the Ottawa Senators' Jean-Gabriel Pageau from Upper Deck's 2017-18 Compendium Series 2.

The second one got me this sweet Henrik Sedin Printing Plate, from Upper Deck's 2016-17 Compendium Series 2 set:

This one's of the "black" variety. I'm willing to trade it for something interesting and of equal value.

The Sedin Twins retired after last season, having played their entire NHL careers with the Vancouver Canucks; Henrik played 24 more games than his brother (1330 vs 1306), which enabled him to collect 29 more points (1070 vs 1049). Each won the Art Ross trophy as the league's points leader - in consecutive seasons - and Henrik served as captain of the Canucks.

They're likely looking at Hall Of Fame nods down the road, with international play for Team Sweden netting the pair six medals (2006 Olympic gold, 2013 World Championship gold, 1999 and 2001 World Championship bronze, 1998 European Junior Championship gold and U17 silver in 1997), with Daniel adding an extra silver Olympic medal in 2014 while Henrik, Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg missed the tournament due to injuries, and Nicklas Backstrom missed the Final against Canada (who iced a full team) due to traces of a banned substance in his blood.

Duncan Siemens Jersey Card

Duncan Siemens is a 24-year-old stay-at-home, 6'3", 210-pound defenseman who is probably on the verge of breaking out and earning a regular spot on the Colorado Avalanche, or at least it would seem so since the team extended him a qualifying offer last summer. He was their second first-round pick (11th overall) in 2011, after they chose Gabriel Landeskog with the second-overall selection.

Back in Juniors, starring with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades, Siemerns was viewed as a smooth skater with a good first pass and a punishing mean streak - which remains true. That being said, he didn't make Patrick Roy's Avs squad because his stick-handling was problematic (and the team had enough trouble coming out of its own zone, Roy didn't want to risk it further by having one guy be susceptible to turnovers if opponents put enough pressure on him), and while he looks good skating for a big guy, making big strides, he's not the fastest skater.

I do feel that he can still develop into a sort of Marc Methot-type, which is very good in and of itself, although it lacks justification for having been selected ahead of the likes of Sven Baertschi (13th), Oscar Klefbom (19th), John Gibson (39th), Brandon Saad (43rd), Markus Granlund (45th), Xavier Ouellet (48th), Nikita Kucherov (58th), Vincent Trocheck (64th), and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (96th).

Here he is wearing the WHL's All-Star uniform on card #SSM-38 from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set and Game-Used Jersey sub-set:

It features a huge red game-worn jersey swatch from his uniform in the 2012 Subway Super Series. It's the "Black" version of the card.

Graham Black Jersey Card

We're still technically still in the midst of free agency season, but the huge July 1st fun and anticipation has long died off, despite the fact that "name" players such as Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan and Thomas Vanek are still available.

One player who shouldn't be in this position but seemingly failed to make an impression on his new team after a trade is 24-year-old Graham Black, who went from being a New Jersey Devils prospect after they drafted him 135th overall in 2015 to the Florida Panthers last summer (with Paul Thompson, for Marc Savard's contract and a 2018 second-rounder).

Black was a decent two-way center who posted near point-per-game statistics with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos until he exploded for 97 points as a 20-to-21-year-old in 2013-14, but he could never replicate that production in three injury-riddled seasons in the AHL, be it with the Albany Devils (14 goals, 9 assists and 23 points in 98 games) or the Springfield Thunderbirds (4-4-8 in 33 games).

Still, I'm told he's good in the face-off circle and shadows opponents' top lines very well. Here he is repesenting the WHL in the 2012 Subway Super Series, on card #SSM-29 from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set and the "Black" Game-Used Jersey sub-set:

It features a huge red game-used swatch.

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers Jersey Card

I was wondering what happened to Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers recently, finding it hard to believe that a player who was a 31st overall pick (Edmonton Oilers, 2002) and played last season in Germany (with the Augsburger Panther) would be out of work at 33 years old.

Well, I found him when perusing stats from the Chinook Hockey League, as he played 3 games with the Lacombe Generals (posting a high 2.98 goals-against average but a decent .917 save percentage). If you remember this story about Ryan Smyth, they're the team Smyth's Stony Plain Eagles were facing in the Chinook League final. Both teams eventually made it to the Allan Cup, but the Generals made it to the final.

Justice was served, however, as the Grand-Falls Windsor Cataracts won the championship. Of note, the Generals brought no less than five goalies to the tournament: Drouin-Deslauriers, who was the third-string goalie, Steven Stanford, the backup, and starter Kramer Barnstable; Marcel Léger and Jacob Deserres were also on board.

So, yeah, that's where JDD is at these days. He hasn't appeared in a postseason game since surrendering a bunch of goals while with the Oklahoma City Barons in 2010-11...

He currently works as a sales and leasing associate at commercial real estate service company Cushman & Wakefield.

Here he is while with the Oilers, with a nice view of his mask, on card #M-25 (Black Version) of In The Game's 2010-11 Between The Pipes set and Game-Used Jersey sub-set:

It features a nice, large, two-colour game-worn jersey swatch from his days with the Oilers.

Marcel Dionne Jersey Card

Congratulations are in order for the New York Rangers, who have eliminated the Montréal Canadiens in 6 games and will now likely face the Ottawa Senators in the Atlantic Division Final.

We are nearing the end of Henrik Lundqvist's prime, and he has precious little time to finally earn his first Stanley Cup, which brings me to a former Ranger whose name does not appear on hockey's most sacred chalice, Hall Of Famer Marcel Dionne.

For a long while, the Rangers were the team where old stars made their final big-contract stop before retiring, from Mark Messier's second run to Wayne Gretzky to Doug Harvey to Pavel Bure, and almost Jaromir Jagr, too, had he remained exiled in the KHL instead of coming back across the pond.

Dionne had requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings, claiming he did not want to be part of a rebuild; in two and a half seasons with the Rangers, he was ousted twice in the first round and failed to make the playoffs once - they didn't rebuild or tank, they just sucked and underachieved. He wasn't so bad himself, posting 42 goals, 56 assists and 98 total points in 118 games in New York, but those aren't the type of numbers that got him an Art Ross, two Lester B. Pearson and two Lady Byng trophies, as well as a Canada Cup title (1976) and three World Championship bronze medals (1978, 1983 and 1986), including the Best Forward award in 1978.

Here he is in Ranger Blue, with a matching game-worn jersey swatch:

That's the "Black" version of card #M-41 from In The Game's 2010-11 Decades - The 1980s set.

Shawn Lalonde Autograph Card

The Chicago Blackhawks should have read my playoff predictions so as to not be disappointed at the outcome of their playoff series against the Nashville Predators, who swept the three-time champions in what many are calling an upset.

What better time to feature Cologne Sharks defenseman Shawn Lalonde, the Hawks' 2008 third-round pick (68th overall), showing him wearing the team's white (away) uniform:

It's the Black version of the signed insert variant of card #336 from Panini's 2013-14 Prizm collection (and Dual Rookie Class sub-set), which also serves as his rookie card in the series.

He's in the mold of Mark Streit and Yannick Weber - and, to a lesser extent, Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Burns - as an offensive defenseman his NHL coach had no idea how to utilize, even spending some time as a forward. In Germany, while manning the blue line, he still gets to finish in his team's top-3 for both points and penalty minutes.

Margot Kidder Autograph Card

By now you've probably witnessed the hate-on for Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice; coming out of the movie, having just seen Deadpool right before, I will admit to being slightly disappointed in the film, and I agreed with most commenters and critics that the two best features of the movie were Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

But the following week, after reading and watching dozens of hours of bitching and unrepentant criticism, even I was taken aback, ready to defend its qualities against rampant negativity.

For the second time, however, Amy Adams was "just there" as Lois Lane, not stealing any scenes, not hindering any, but pretty much not doing anything except get into more trouble than Elisha Cuthbert in 24.

Perhaps it's because she's already a household name, whereas Margot Kidder used that role to parlay herself into a very successful career that included such credits as The Amityville Horror (1979), Heartaches (1981) and Pygmalion (1983).

She went through a breakdown in 1996 which slowed her career down, but she rose back to the spotlight touring with The Vagina Monologues (2002-2005), which led to some fine TV appearances such as The L Word, Smallville, and R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, earning an Emmy for the latter.

She's involved politically, supporting Liberal causes such as the environment, fracking regulations, increased financial regulations and is famously anti-war.

And she's on card #A-MK2 from In The Game's 2011 Canadiana set:

It's the Black Version variant, which features a black-sharpied on-sticker autograph.

Tanner Pearson Autograph Card

Tanner Pearson scored the overtime winner for the Los Angeles Kings last night against the San Jose Sharks. It created a bit of controversy, as some may have thought he was off-side (he wasn't) and Sharks fans thought Dustin Brown's hit that led to the puck being free may have been illegal (it wasn't, it was a textbook example of a great check).

It's hard to realize Pearson's barely 23 and in his third NHL season, because he and Tyler Toffoli had an immediate impact on the Kings, with the rookies playing on the team's most talked-about line (dubbed That 70s Line because both rookies and center Jeff Carter have uniform numbers in the 70s) as they won the Stanley Cup.

Pearson had 12 points in 24 games in the Cup run, and has shown to be able to produce at a half-point per game clip in the regular season since, yet he amped it up in this year's playoffs again, currently standing at 3 points in 3 games despite his team trailing 2-1 in the series.

Further proof that the Kings' scouting staff know exactly what to look for in a player, he was passed over completely the first two times he was eligible to be drafted, yet the Kings selected him in the first round (30h overall) after winning their first Cup in 2012; usually, players who get passed over at ages 17-19 fall to (at least) the third round as "projects", but the Kings knew what they needed to focus on with him and ten months later, he was suiting up in his first NHL playoff game, against the Sharks.

Here he is wearing L.A.'s black (home) uniform on the black variant autographed insert version of card #355 from Panini's 2013-14 Prizm set (part of the Dual Rookie Class sub-set, thus acting as his Rookie card):

It's a mostly-foil card that features a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph.

Darnell Nurse Jersey Card

Number 25 for December 25th - good concept, no?

Here's card #SSM-14 from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set (and Game-Used Jersey sub-set), featuring a huge red swatch and matching picture of Edmonton Oilers prospect Darnell Nurse suiting up for the OHL in the Subway Super Series:

Nurse, an Oilers first-round choice (7th overall in 2013), was supposed to be groomed over time and spend at least a full year in the AHL - possibly two - before being brought in with the big club to have an immediate impact; injuries and sub-par play on the main team forced the Oilers' hand, however, and he has appeared in 26 games so far, and played nearly 25:56 in his last one, a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. His impact is already being felt.

I like what I've seen from him so far, and I'm excited to see where it will lead.

Mathew Dumba Jersey 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)

Mathew Dumba did a really classy thing yesterday: he contacted Derek Boogaard's family to ask if it was ok to use their son's former #24 jersey, meaning he'll forgo the star-worthy 55 in favour of a more classic number. Boogaard may have been an enforcer, but he resonated deeply with fans and teammates.

A year ago, Dumba was about to enter his actual rookie year as a 20-year-old defenseman, and Minnesota Wild fans were expecting to see his hard hits, hard shot and offensive prowess on full display, but the team decided to work him in slowly, giving him third-pair minutes (he averaged less than 16 per game in 58 games) and asking him to develop a sound, mistake-free defensive game before trying to light up the league.

He had nearly as many points in the NHL level (16 in 58 games) as he did in the AHL (14 in 20 games), but his average with the Iowa Wild was closer to what he'd shown he could provide in the minor leagues.

Then again, it's not every year than an Aaron Ekblad comes in and dominates as a rookie on the back end, and even those who do later take a few years of constant criticism while polishing their game, like Tyler Myers. I think the Wild will play it smart with him and let him develop on his own timeline, as the Montréal Canadiens have done with P.K. Subban and now Nathan Beaulieu.

One thing's for sure, as he gathers confidence and learns to properly gauge the speed at which plays occur, he will lay some bruising hits in his own zone and scare the other team's defenders in the offensive zone with his shot.

He has the tools to dominate for a decade, it's up to him to use them properly, and to the Wild to develop them.

In the meantime, here he is from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects set (card #SSM-05 in the Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the Black Version variant), wearing the WHL All-Stars' white (home) uniforms as they faced off against a group of talented Russian Juniors stars in the Subway Super Series, with a matching game-worn jersey swatch:

Scott Harrington Jersey Card

So, crazy free agent market, eh?

Too bad all the so-called ''experts'' only had the Phil Kessel trade on their minds...

Kessel is probably still one of the NHL's top-5 shooters. And so much has been said about his physical shape, effort level (or lack thereof), and disdain for the media that I won't go at lengths about it here, but with centers like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, he may very well (and definitely should) reach the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After all was said and done, apart from draft picks, Kessel, defenseman Tim Erixon (already on his fifth team since 2011-12 and fourth since 2014) and forward Tyler Biggs will make their way to the Pens, while defenseman Scott Harrington, and forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Nick Spaling will head to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also signed P.A. Parenteau and brought back Daniel Winnick to the fold today.

My focus today will be on former London Knights captain Harrington, a ''character'' defenseman who is merely 22 years old. London has one of the best Juniors programs in Canada, headed by the Hunter brothers (Mark is now a Leafs executive, Dale Hunter is back coaching), so Harrington learned to develop a complete game from a relatively young age.

He was considered a two-way defenseman in the OHL/CHL, but his offensive statistics were actually better at the AHL level with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (24 points in 76 games in 2013-14 and 12 points in 48 games in 2014-15) than in London (81 points in 206 games from 2009-13), so his game's improving.

And yet, the 54th-overall pick of the 2011 draft was always seen as a tall (6'2''), built (205 pounds so far), smooth-skating, positionally-sound, smart player. If he can put points up on the board as well, he'll turn into much more than many had envisioned him becoming.

Internationally, he's suited up for Team Canada, winning silver for Team Ontario at the 2010 U-17s and bronze at the 2012 World Juniors, and with a fourth-place finish at the 2013 World Juniors, where he was sporting the alternate captain's ''A''.

But the ''C'' remains a definite possibility in the future, as can be attested by this card showing him with the Knights' black uniform, from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set (#M-35 of the Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the Black Version variant):

It contains a huge white-beige swatch. I got it in a trade a year or two ago, with other CHL jersey cards going both ways.

Samuel Morin Jersey Card

The Philadelphia Flyers were pretty high on Samuel Morin when they made him the 11th overall pick in 2013, ahead of Max Domi (12th), Curtis Lazar (17th), Mirco Mueller (18th), Anthony Mantha (20th), Émile Poirier (22nd), Zachary Fucale (36th), William Carrier (57th), Eric Comrie (59th), Anthony Duclair (80th), Sven Andrighetto (86th), and Jordan Subban (115th).

It's hard not to be high on a kid who already stood at 6'6'' and 200 pounds as a 17-year-old (now 6'7'' and 220), and had a lot of frame left to fill yet already had a booming shot, perfect, hard passes and got into using his frame to provide hits more and more as time passed.

This year, in his fourth season in the ''Q'' with the Rimouski Océanic, at 19 years old, he looked like Chris Pronger out there; don't get me wrong, he won't ever be a Pronger - he doesn't have the mean streak, for one - but as one of the veteran players on a team that finished first in the regular season and just won the league's Finals in double-overtime of Game 7, he was heads and shoulders above the rest, and not just because of the size Mother Nature imparted upon him. He's got skill. And he was solid for Team Canada at the World Juniors.

Another Flyers top prospect, Shayne Gostisbehere (a.k.a. ''The Ghost'') also can't wait to be paired with him on a regular basis, and GM Ron Hextall is happy with his progress so far, after almost starting the year with the big club.

I read left and right about journalists who are often wrong saying the Flyers have no defense to speak of (somewhat true at present time) and nobody in the system coming up (a complete fallacy, as can be attested by Ghost and Morin alone), which could very well mean Philadelphia is a lot closer to a complete turnaround than anyone expects. Particularly with a new head coach.

Now, defensemen take longer to develop than forwards, particularly those who have monster size. But Hextall will take his time and be patient with Morin, knowing full well it's better to wait a couple of seasons and have him be excellent for 12 years than have four so-so development years at the NHL level for 4 pretty good and 5 excellent seasons. Hopefully.

Here's Morin wearing the Océanic's blue (away) uniform:

It's card #M-22 from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set (part of the Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the ''Black Version'' variant), featuring a game-worn white jersey swatch with a huge stitch and overlap spanning the whole swatch. I got it in a trade last year with three other cards, this being the third I have featured so far (Scott Harrington is coming eventually).

Curtis Lazar Jersey Card

Well, Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators put up a great fight, but the Montréal Canadiens were luckier, had a few calls go their way, and proved to be a much deeper team on the whole, despite the fact that just one or two pucks lifted over a sprawling Carey Price (or on either of his top corners) could have made this series end in a 4-2 Sens win instead of the other way around.

Still, this young Senators team has gained valuable playoff experience, and they've shown a great never-say-die attitude in the face of constant fear of elimination, stemming from the beginning of the calendar year when they were as far as 14 points behind the final playoff position.

One of the kids who will likely grow into a larger role as the years pass, possibly to become the #2 center behind Kyle Turris, is Curtis Lazar, who won gold captaining Team Canada at the World Juniors during the Holidays, after winning the Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings last year.

As a player, he's mature beyond his years, but he remains a 19-year-old, capable of some extreme cuteness, such as this drawing when Chris Phillips (whose house he's residing in during the regular season) was shut down for the remainder of the season last week:

Glad all went well with Papa's surgery, get well soon! @CPhillipsFour #Fridgematerial pic.twitter.com/Cgn1smdJOi
— Curtis Lazar (@CurtisLazar95) April 21, 2015

 Here's a card I landed on last year, from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set (card #TPM-16 of the Top Prospects Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the ''Black'' version), with a huge black and red swatch from the actual OHL/CHL/NHL Top Prospects game, where he is pictured wearing the white (Team Orr) uniform:

I look forward to seeing where his game will take him at the NHL level.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson Jersey Card

Well, the World Juniors are under way, and what better pretext to feature one of the NHL's most underrated defensemen, Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes. If this guy were playing in a hockey town - or anywhere on the East Coast - he'd no doubt be in the same conversations as Victor Hedman.

He's been on a 40-point pace each year since his sophomore season - again, with the Coyotes, a team who does have another big-minute defender in Keith Yandle but never really had top-notch talent up front to complete the plays started from the back end. He's often in the minuses (because the Coyotes) but still manages to get some Norris votes, finishing 7th in the race in 2012-13 (with three first-place votes) and 14th last year.

He has all the tools required to be among the elite at his position for a long time. His smooth and seemingly effortless skating hides dashing speed - not unlike Scott Niedermayer at a certain time. And his dazzling speed doesn't come on its own, as he can make plays at top speeds as well, not just blast forward and get lost in the moment.

Defensively, his style's closer to Nicklas Lidstrom's, though they're not on the same level. After all, Lidstrom's among the best of all time (definitely top-5 for me, with Doug Harvey, Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Larry Robinson), but Ekman-Larsson also has that near-perfect positioning and ability to just scoop the puck away from opponents at the right time.

Like Hedman, the 23-year-old already has extensive international experience, having won two silver (2011 World Championships and 2014 Olympics) and two bronze medals (2010 World Juniors and 2010 World Championships) with Team Sweden, with the swatch from this card seemingly from one of the latter two tournaments:

It's from In The Game's 2011-12 Canada Vs The World set (#IMM-18 of the International Material sub-set, the ''Black'' - or ''least rare'' variation), showing him wearing Sweden's classic blue uniform, with matching swatch.

Curtis Lazar Jersey Card

Congratulations are in order for Curtis Lazar, who was named the captain of Team Canada ahead of the World Juniors which will start this weekend in Montréal and conclude in Toronto at the end of the Holidays. The young forward from British Columbia is on loan from the Ottawa Senators - the team that drafted him 17th overall in 2013 - after suiting up for them 27 times this year so far. The hope is that he plays a central role in redeeming last year's 4th-place finish on home ice and can return to the team fully energized and ready to take on more responsibility at the NHL level as the Sens make a push towards a playoff spot.

He's broken records belonging to Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby at the Midget level, and from the moment he stepped into the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, he has been on a steady stream of improvement, netting 31 points in 63 regular-season points in his rookie season followed by an impressive 19 in 20 games in the playoffs, and accumulating 38 goals and 61 points in 72 games in his sophomore year, saving his best for last, 41 goals and 76 points in just 58 regular-season games last year, plus 10-12-22 in 20 games to lead the Oil Kings to the Memorial Cup last year.

He's been compared to Milan Lucic a lot because he's built tough (210 pounds on his 6'0'' frame at just 19 years old), but as a right-handed center who likes to play in traffic and can also pass, I'd compare him to Ryan Getzlaf.

Here he is sporting the Oil Kings' red uniform, from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set (card #M-05 of the Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the ''Black'' version), with a huge matching swatch that take sup most of the card:

Cool card depicting a player who'll help the Sens for a long time; he and Kyle Turris will make a nice one-two punch at center ice that will match up with some of the best teams within three years.

Kyle Chipchura Jersey Card

Yes, the Arizona Coyotes are in panic mode.

After buying out their lone #1 center Mike Ribeiro last summer, then claiming to go through a youth movement before back-tracking and claiming veterans will help the team make the playoffs, the Coyotes saw their backup goalie Devan Dubnyk outplaying starter Mike Smith, the team is starting to hold post-game meetings, GM Don Maloney threatened to trade all of his players, including those with no-trade clauses - and he got on that by sending Rob Klinkhammer - a winger who had 20 points last season - to the Pittsburgh Penguins, then putting Kyle Chipchura (a shut-down, penalty-killing center who also had 20 points last season) on waivers earlier today.

At this point, I'm probably more confident to see the Edmonton Oilers bounce back before Arizona...

Getting rid of your ''sure things'' isn't the way to build a contender, it's a sure-fire way to tank. Within just a few months, Maloney got rid of his best offensive weapons (Ribeiro at center, and he let goal-scorer Radim Vrbata walk as well), and his penalty-killing center, because who need centers, passers and scorers, right?

Don't misunderstand me on the importance of Chipchura: he's slow for the NHL, and his 20 points last year were a career-high - an attainable goal, but far from a guarantee. What he can give you, though, is leadership (he captained Team Canada at the World Juniors and was drafted by the Montréal Canadiens in the first round on his leadership skills alone), ability in the face-off circle (i.e. ''initial possession''), and decent defensive play, particularly on the PK. And all teams need that, particularly teams who cannot replace that skill at a higher speed.

For my complete view and evaluation of his skill set, I'll refer you to this post I made in September, which I still stand by; the only thing that's changed since that post is I no longer keep contact with my ''new friend''.

But I thought the news of his being waived, and likely return to AHL play, warranted I talk about this terrific card, from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects set (#M-10 of the Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the ''Black'' variant):

As you can see, it contains a rare jersey swatch with a stitch from both the red and white parts of the Hamilton Bulldogs' jersey, though it shows him wearing the Portland Pirates' red (away) uniform - and the alternate captain's ''A'' sewn on his chest. Either it was a mistake, or they used an old swatch, as Chipchura hadn't played for the Bulldogs since the 2008-09 season; then again, he hadn't played in the AHL at all between that season and 2011-12, and he was only there because of the lockout, as he played in 46 of the Phoenix Coyotes' 48 games when play resumed.

Greg Pateryn Autograph Card

I mentioned (twice) last week that Greg Pateryn was in the mix for the Montréal Canadiens' 6th and 7th defenseman spots... well the Habs sent him to their AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs yesterday. Whereas last year, the team lacked right-handed shots on defense, it's the polar opposite this season, what with P.K. Subban, Tom Gilbert and Mike Weaver nearly guaranteed spots on the right side to begin the year.

With his steady play in both the AHL the past few years and every time he was called up, as well as in this current pre-season, Pateryn has all but been assured he will be the first blue-liner to get a call back up should the need arise.

I intended to write him last year but didn't; surely I will this season. He barely turned 24, he should be able to stick in the NHL for a decade or so of good, quiet, steady play. At 6'3'' and 220 pounds, he's strong and physical, and positions himself well. On an off night, though, because he plays a low-key game and stays on the back end, he can look pretty bad - luckily those don't occur very often.

And so, the former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick (128th overall in 2008) and University Of Michigan Wolverines alternate captain takes his rightful place, wearing #64 in my Habs Numbers Project, with this 2013-14 Prizm card, #359 of the set by Panini, his Rookie Card (part of last year's Dual Rookie Class):

It's a beautiful, black-foil card, with a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph; the picture is overly photoshopped, but the silver lining on the contours and the seams of the jersey look terrific.