Kevin Fiala Jersey Card

Kevin Fiala scored the Minnesota Wild's first goal of the 2019-20 postseason, cementing his position as the team's next offensive star, after posting 54 points in 64 regular-season games, including no less than 14 goals and 26 points in the final 18 games.

It's not that people didn't think he could make it - he was, after all, the 11th-overall pick of the 2014 draft, ahead of the likes of Jakub Vrana (13th), Dylan Larkin (15th), Travis Sanheim (17th), Alex Tuch (18th), Tony DeAngelo (19th), Nick Schmaltz (20th), Robby Fabbri (21st), David Pastrnak (25th), Brayden Point (79th) and Viktor Arvidsson (112th) - but the fact that it took him power forward-type years (his sixth season) to put the ingredients together in a way that maximizes his skill-set against opponents must have a few scouts breathing easier in Nashville nowadays.

Although former Wild GM Paul Fenton - who had previously worked in the Nashville Predators' front office - was probably among those who held him in high esteem, considering he's the one who tagged prized young forward Mikael Granlund as the one to move South so that Fiala could come to the State of Hockey.

Considering the Wild has eight players over the age of 30 on their regular 20-man roster in Eric Staal (34), Mikko Koivu (36), Ryan Suter (34), Zach Parise (35), Mats Zuccarello (32), Brad Hunt (31) and goalies Alex Stalock (32) and Devan Dubnyk (33), they can sure use Fiala's fresh 23-year-old legs to lead them into the future.

Here he is wearing the Preds' ugly yellow (home) uniform from five years ago on card #RRJ-KF from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Ice set and Rookie Relic Jumbos sub-set:

It features a large blue jersey swatch that was worn in a rookie photo shoot, and is numbered 275/299. I got it on Ebay a couple of months ago, knowing I was going to be talking about him in the enar future, whether it was during the Play-in or the offseason.

Kris Chucko Jersey Card

Not every first-rounder from the 2004 draft class played in the NHL; A.J. Thelen (12th overall, Minnesota Wild) and Andy Rogers (30th overall, Tampa Bay Lightning), for instance, haven't. Kris Chucko, chosen 24th overall with the Calgary Flames, played 2 games with the team in 2008-09, as he was being groomed for a bottom-six grinding winger role with middle-six upside due to his speed, hockey sense and 6'2", 198-pound physique.

His defensive play kept him from being relegated to the ECHL during his five-season AHL career, but his lack of consistent offensive production save for the '08-09 season didn't warrant any call-ups, either.

He also may have lacked discipline on the ice, as his penalty minute count usually surpassed his number of games played.

It wasn't any of that that put an end to his career, however: he suffered a serious concussion in December 2009 limiting him to 41 games that year and another one in October 2010 that ended his season after just two contests.

He didn't have a contract for the following season and had to consider his future quality of life.

Here he is wearing the Flames' red (home) uniform, on card #FT-KC from Upper Deck's 2009-10 Ice set and Fresh Threads sub-set:

It features a black jersey swatch from a rookie photo shoot.

After retiring, the Burnaby, BC native moved to Minnesota - where he had played NCAA hockey with the Golden Gophers at university - and turned to banking; he is currently a manager and VP for at U.S. Bank.

Ronalds Kenins Autograph Card

Ronalds Kenins is a Latvian left winger who was born to play in the Swiss League: he is relentless, quick, a very good play-maker and smart both with and without the puck, the type of guy who can play a middle-six role anywhere - in international competitions, in Europe, in North America - and not hinder his team or look out of place.

However, at 6' and 200 pounds, he is a little light to play a power forward-type of game and produce points in the NHL, Sweden, the Czech League or the KHL, whereas he plays and looks more imposing in Switzerland, France and Italy and can complement his game with decent offensive statistics there because of his strong two-way play.

Undrafted, he was given a chance by the Vancouver Canucks in the middle of the decade, splitting his time between the NHL team and its AHL affiliate Utica Comets in 2014-15 and 2015-16, but when he got an offer to go back to the Zurich Lions for the 2016-17 season on a two-year deal, he jumped on the opportunity to go back.

He's currently in the second season of a three-year deal with the Lausanne HC, where he's on a 0.5 point-per-game pace.

Here he is wearing the Canucks' blue (now-home) uniform, on card #IPA-RK from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Ice collection and Ice Premieres Autographs sub-set:

It features an on-card blue sharpie signature. The card is see-through plastic, acetate-style, and is numbered #426/499. It is gorgeous.

Taylor Hall Jersey Card

The speculation can end: the New Jersey Devils traded Taylor Hall (with Blake Speers) to the Arizona Coyotes for a guaranteed first-rounder, a third-rounder that could become a second- or even another first-rounder (conditions apply) and a trio of B-level prospects Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr and Kevin Bahl. The Devils are retaining 50 percent of Hall's salary

The return is underwhelming, but the Devils see it as addition by subtraction: they got rid of a massive distraction, a player looking for a big payday that they've been courting and trying to please for three seasons who didn't want to re-sign, and all it cost them is firing a mediocre coach (John Hynes). They'll get to tank for a good first-round spot after winning two of the last three lotteries, and stockpile prospects of their own.

Don't get me wrong, Hall is an excellent first-line winger, an All-Star, but his head and next contract are overblown by the Hart Trophy that bears his name instead of the more-deserving Nathan MacKinnon two years ago. He doesn't make his linemates better and only once played in a state of grace worthy of a first-overall draft selection (2010, Edmonton Oilers) - and that year, his 93 points were 41 better than the runner-up on his team, 18-year-old rookie Nico Hischier. He didn't help anyone on his team despite being near the 100-point mark; Connor McDavid turns career nobodies into 20-goal scorers and brings Leon Draisaitl - a very talented player, one of the ten best forwards in the world - in the conversation as one of the three best players of this era. Hall's 14% shot rating in 2017-18 was also 50% higher than his career average and it was likely pure luck that it was in that year that he didn't miss 20 games to injury - two chance events happening at once.

And yet, Coyotes GM John Chayka - whom I wouldn't rate among the 10 best of his profession - made a perfect trade in acquiring his services. If he uses Hall correctly, as a rental, he'll be telling his team - currently sitting in first place in the wide-open Pacific Division - that he sees their effort and will help them go as far as they can without hurting the core and the current team spirit and simply adding an All-Star to the mix, perhaps the one player who can wake Phil Kessel up from his half-season slumber. He's thanking his veterans for their patience in those lean years where they kept failing to make the playoffs; he's showing his young guns he'll always try to give them a chance to win if they help themselves first.

He's also letting Hall look like a good team player by giving him the chance to join a club that will now be looking to contend, so he can earn a big payday elsewhere come July 1st.

With good goaltending, a decent defence and a balanced-if-unimpressive forwards corps, the Coyotes already had a shot at reaching the postseason in their division, the way Rick Tocchet has coached this year. Now they can make a dent in them, and perhaps win a round or two and build on that experience for the future.

The Yotes play in the same division as the Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights - three teams I follow and love to watch. Plus, they should have moved years ago. But it's hard not to root for this move to work.

Then again, it's Hall, so he could very well get injured for the remainder of the season soon and Arizona could miss the playoffs and end up wining the lottery.

Here's Hall wearing the Oilers' orange (then-third) uniform, on card #FF-TH from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Ice set and Frozen Fabrics sub-set:

It features a blue game-worn jersey swatch that is probably from Edmonton's home jersey.

Ty Conklin Autographed Card

The Edmonton Oilers are unstoppable. I had them finishing fourth in the Pacific Division and fighting for a playoff spot - unrealistically hoping they could pass the San Jose Sharks in third place but ultimately falling just short, possibly by a single point. But you can never count out a team led by Connor McDavid, apparently.

I'm also extremely glad for James Neal finding the back of the net again; he is one of my favourite forwards, so having him on the team I followed the most as a kid, teenager and young adult meant a lot in itself, and his rejuvenated self is just (delicious) icing on the cake.

Mikko Koskinen is also getting accustomed to the NHL ice surface and speed; he and Mike Smith are playing well in the crease, giving their defense a well-deserved confidence boost that they don't have to be perfect to win games.

Which brings me to another Oiler that tended goal some 15 years ago, Ty Conklin, seen here looking much happier when he still had a career .914 save percentage, 2.36 GAA and a winning record (19-14-4):

That's card #37 from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice set, which he signed in blue sharpie at a card show in 2017 or 2018.

He was chosen as the 2004 World Championships' Best Goaltender, helping Team USA to a bronze medal.

Vaclav Prospal Autographed Card

It's been a few seasons since the Philadelphia Flyers were considered serious contenders, but I feel they're on the verge of breaking out - not this year, but the way GM Ron Hextall has built his roster and taken his time bringing his players up in a way that he'll be able to keep most of them if not all under the salary cap for a long time, as soon as goalie Anthony Stolarz is ready to take over the #1 job between the pipes.

Since breaking into the NHL 50 years ago, the Flyers have been able to build a Stanley Cup finalist every decade, which is rather impressive. The team from the mid-1990s, starring Hextall for much of it, the Legion of Doom (Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg) up front, Team Canada defenseman Éric Desjardins, Rod Brind'Amour, Paul Coffey and so many more was pretty memorable despite never winning a championship.

One long-time NHLer was drafted to fit right in with that group, in the third round (71st overall) of the 1993 draft: Vaclav Prospal. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as Prospal was traded along with Pat Falloon and a second-round pick for the Ottawa Senators' Alexandre Daigle, in January 1998.

Prospal would spend parts of four seasons with the Sens, with whom he had his first 20-goal and 55-point season (1999-2000), then half a season with the Florida Panthers before getting traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he had his finest seasons in the NHL in three separate stints with the team:

From HockeyDB

As you can see, he narrowly missed being part of the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning Bolts team...

Although he was eventually bought out from the last three years of his final deal with the Lightning, he did play well for the New York Rangers (where he was also an alternate captain) and Columbus Blue Jackets - for two years apiece - after his time in Tampa.

Here, though, in keeping with my theme of featuring the same team on each of my blogs for all of September as I make my 2017-18 predictions public, I will show him wearing the Flyers' white (then-home) 1980s-1990s uniform, making a play along the boards in front of the New Jersey Devils' John MacLean, on card #McD-39 from Upper Deck's 1997-98 McDonald's / Ice set and Ice Breakers sub-set, which he signed in blue sharpie in 2012 or 2013:

I am particularly fond of how the signature does not bleed through his body on the reverse of the plastic see-through card:

He missed the 1998 Olympics because of an injury but did earn a bronze medal with the rest of the Czech Team at the 2006 Torino Games to go with his 2000 and 2005 World Championship gold medals.

He retired in January 2014.

Marc Denis: Two Autographed Cards

One thing we know about the Columbus Blue Jackets is that they're really good, extremely balanced, and deep at almost every position. We can add that they have a shrewd GM in Jarmo Kekalainen who is as good at signing reasonable contracts with his RFAs as he is good at winning trades, and that's without mentioning that as head scout for the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues, he had the best eye for talent in the league, as he was responsible for the drafting of such stars and sleeper picks as Marian Hossa, Ray Emery, Martin Havlat, Alex Pietrangelo, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, David Perron and David Backes. I predict the Jackets will finish second in the Metropolitan Division this year and should, legitimately, be looked at to win their first playoff series in team history.

Another hockey expert I like to link to the Blue Jackets is their former #1 goalie Marc Denis, who is now the hockey analyst for TV station RDS. In my opinion, he's the best in the business. Sure, he has to say that every Carey Price save is a work of art because his network happens to own part of the Montréal Canadiens, but he is also always insightful, particularly when it comes to the tactical side of the game, as well as defensive positioning and goaltending. It helps that he was the goalie coach for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at the turn of the decade.

Stylistically, like every Quebecer in his (and my) age range, he was a pure butterfly stopper, emulating Patrick Roy. The initial King of Butterfly Saves, Hall Of Famer Tony Esposito, once said of Denis: "(He) has one of the brightest futures in the game. He has shown the ability to dominate a contest." The year after that quote, Denis appeared in 77 games for the Jackets, setting an NHL record for most minutes played with 4511.

He signed two cards (in black sharpie) from his days in Columbus for me last season, both showing him wearing their then-home white uniform; first, here is card #33 from Upper Deck's 2000-01 Heroes set, showing him receiving shots during a pre-game warmup:

And finally, here is card #68 from UD's 2000-01 Ice set, an amazing see-through plastic card that this scan does not do justice to:

Of course, the back has the reverse of that picture to go with statistics; notice how the signature doesn't penetrate his body:

Year in and year out, Ice and Artifacts are the best-looking and most spectacular cards on the market. I have had this card for years, and I still get happy just looking at it - the autograph just adds to my pleasure.

Sam Bennett Jersey Card

There are varying opinions of Sam Bennett's new deal online, with some saying he got fleeced by Calgary Flames management by signing a two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.95M.

Here's my reasoning for why it's a better deal for him:

First off, he's showing good faith and pretty much admitting he had a sub-par 2016-17 season (13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points and 75 penalty minutes in 81 games, ten points down from the 18-18-36 he posted in 77 games from the previous season) and is willing to make amends. That scores high in my book.

The team's now left with $5.2M on the cap, which should be more than enough to sign someone like Jaromir Jagr who would immediately add talent in the top-9, and frees up a bit of money for an in-season trade in case someone under-performs or gets injured. Both of these would likely help Bennett produce at a higher clip than last year.

Sure, there are comparables like Nick Bjugstad, who signed for a $4.1M cap hit ahead of the 2015-16 season at the age of 23; but what the Flames are looking for in Bennett is a progression like Nick Bonino's - who played on the third line for three different teams before the Nashville Predators signed him this summer to center the second - except in accelerated form, which is fair to ask of a fourth-overall draft pick (2014).

He has two years to post a 40-to-50-point season and hover around 20 goals, like a second Mikael Backlund; if and when he does, he'll be making second-line money ($5M to 6.5M), which will be worth it for both the team and the player.

Here he is sporting his usual #93 on card #FT-SB from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Ice collection and Fresh Threads sub-set:

It shows the gold medalist (Team Canada, 2013 U18 World Juniors) wearing the Flames' white (away) uniform and features a matching jersey swatch from a rookie photo shoot.

Matthew Halischuk Jersey Card

After years of mostly splitting his time between the NHL and AHL organizations of the New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets, Matt Halischuk went overseas for the 2016-17 season, signing on with the German League's Iserlohn Roosters.

The right winger scored 4 goals with 6 assists (for 10 points) in 23 games, a decent point-per-game production on a team where the leading scorer, former Bridgeport Sound Tigers player Blaine Down, posted 33 points 18 goals and 15 assists) in 48 games.

It's also the team where former Preds goaltending prospect, 2008 first-rounder Chet Pickard (Calvin's brother) plies his trade, as Matias Lange's backup.

Halischuk's main issue has always been his size. Though he grew to stand at 6'0", his lanky 180-pound stature makes it easy to knock him off the puck, regardless of the league he's playing in.

Here he is wearing the Devils' red (home) uniform, on card #FT-MH from Upper Deck's 2008-09 Ice set and Fresh Threads sub-set:

It features two jersey swatches from a rookie photo shoot, one all-black and the other mainly white with a trace of red, encompassing all three of the Devils' current colours.

Noah Hanifin Jersey Card

Team USA has announced two more entries for its young 2017 World Championships team, including Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin. I have him in my keeper pool, but honestly, I can never put my faith in the Canes; even this season, I had predicted they'd finish last in their division, perhaps even in the East; I was wrong, as they finished a whole 17 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils - what a shit-show there - but second-to-last in their division is nothing to be proud of.

They have a young and talented defense, but two goalies (Cam Ward and Eddie Lack) and a head coach (Bill Peters) who are in way over their heads, and a forward corps that lacks three first-liners to slot everyone in their current top-9 back a peg and perhaps into a more proper ranking. GM Ron Francis might not get a chance to move with the team to Québec if he can't right the ship by next Christmas.

Which means Hanifin may eventually become the new Québec Nordiques' captain eventually... provided he doesn't get snatched by the Vegas Golden Knights this summer. Here he is wearing the Canes' current red (home) uniform, not a bad look, but I preferred their previous red one with stuff happening on their shoulders:

That's card #FT-NH from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Ice set and Fresh Threads sub-set, that features a matching red jersey swatch from a rookie photo shoot.

Paul Kariya Dual Jersey Card

It turns out the St. Louis Blues will be making the playoffs after all, despite having traded defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and fired head coach Ken Hitchcock. Good for them, though they will likely face the Minnesota Wild - no small task, considering they led the league standings nearly all year.

The Blues are one of two teams - with the Colorado Avalanche - with whom Paul Kariya has not had a point-per-game season. He was, of course, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's long-time captain, but many folks forget he also holds the Nashville Predators' team single-season marks for assists (54) and points (85), both set in 2005-06.

Kariya retired after taking the 2010-11 season off altogether while recovering from the many concussions he incurred during his career, which he ended with exactly 989 points (402 goals and 587 assists) in 989 regular-season games; it would have been nice to see him reach the 1000-point mark, but alas, like Wayne Gretzky before him, he fell victim to Gary Suter's medecine: a cross-check to the head that forced him to miss the 1998 Olympics. Gretzky had been cross-checked in the back during the 1991 Canada Cup.

Upon retiring, Kariya had some strong words towards the NHL's safety measures and correctional department. Things haven't changed all that much since - except for the fact that Kariya no longer attends games or cares about hockey.

Here he is wearing the Blues' post-lockout blue (home) uniform, on card #FF-PK from Upper Deck's 2007-08 Ice collection and Frozen Fabrics sub-set:

It features grey and white game-worn jersey swatches taken from the Preds' post-lockout uniforms.

David Aebischer Jersey Card

Seeing as how Peter Budaj revived his career after injuries to Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff, perhaps another former Colorado Avalanche and Montréal Canadiens goalie could pull it off next year. No, not José Theodore, I meant David Aebischer.

Then again, the Swiss goalie hasn't played since an awful stint in the second-tier Swiss League in 2014-15, where he posted a 4.72 GAA in 5 games after a few dismal seasons in the upper-echelon of hockey in Switzerland:

Courtesy of HockeyDB.com

Those are pretty bad numbers.

Nevertheless, he looks pretty cool on this card, #FF-DA from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice set and Frozen Fabrics sub-set, wearing the Avs' old burgundy uniform:

It's a plastic card that has some see-through portions and features a matching burgundy game-worn jersey swatch.

Ryan Smyth 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)

At this point, most readers are aware that Ryan Smyth was one of my favourite players of his generation; he kept the Edmonton Oilers' flame lit for his entire tenure (1994-2007, 2011-14), in addition to posting decent numbers with the New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings - though he was clearly not an ideal fit on the latter two, despite what the numbers say.

However, last night, he suffered an injury when he received an elbow to the head right after scoring a goal in the Chinook Hockey League final, as his Stony Plain Eagles are facing the Lacombe Generals for the right to represent Alberta in the Allan Cup championship, the Stanley Cup of senior-league hockey.

The Hockey News went so far as to suggest his assailant, Kyle Sheen, is a goon - not just an enforcer, but a brute and thug - who shouldn't even be on the same sheet of ice as Smyth. The video in their opinion piece does, indeed, seem to confirm just that.

Smyth isn't just the Eagles' captain or an Oiler alumnus; he's Captain Canada, for fuck's sake. Every single year his NHL teams failed to make the playoffs despite his giving every ounce of energy to attain that goal, he answered Team Canada's call for the World Championships and proudly wore the "C" atop the maple leaf, usually on his way to a gold medal.

The way Canada usually convinces young players (say a Matt Duchene, Jordan Eberle, Aaron Ekblad or Ryan O'Reilly) to join those teams after disappointing seasons is with a bit of a bribe: "come play with us, join the Hockey Canada Rolodex, and maybe we'll call on you later, such as the Olympics or something".

They didn't have to go through such lengths with Smyth, who knew he'd be passed over for the more marquee events because Canada would rather have the star power of a center such as Jeff Carter or Claude Giroux playing wing than a guy willing to get injured on the ice to prevent or even score a goal; no, Smyth just goes because of his commitment to his country and his love for the game.

The same love of the game that got him playing in a senior league at age 41, three years after having retired from the rigors of the NHL, because he couldn't not play.

Here he is wearing the Oilers' white (then-home) turn-of-the-millennium uniform with the "Oil Driller" shoulder patches and the alternate captain's "A", on card #FF-RS from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice set and Frozen Fabrics sub-set:

It features a matching game-worn jersey swatch.

Joni Pitkanen Jersey Card

I briefly mentioned Joni Pitkanen when talking about the 2005-06 Philadelphia Flyers yesterday, which reminded me I'd been aiming to feature this card for a while now:

That's card #FI-JP from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice set and Fresh Ice sub-set, showing him in the Flyers' turn-of-the-millennium black uniform, and featuring an orange game-worn jersey swatch. What's great about it is it's made of plastic and the bottom-left, where it says Ice, is see-through.

Pitkanen retired in February 2016, after playing three games with the Finnish team Oulun Kärpät, scoring one goal in the process. He hadn't played a game in the three years prior, after suffering a broken heel while with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In nine NHL seasons, he reached the 40-point mark three times, twice with the Flyers, once with the Canes. He also spent one season with the Edmonton Oilers, posting 26 points (8 goals and 18 assists) in 62 games in 2007-08.

Internationally, he has two bronze medals with Team Finland at the World Juniors (2002 and 2003, in the first golden age of Finnish hockey) as well as one at the 2010 Olympics.

Anze Kopitar Jersey Card

I hinted last year at the sheer amount of Anze Kopitar jersey cards I own, and that I had to use pretty much any occasion to feature one so I can store it away in my Kopitar binder, but any news concerning the Los Angeles Kings has been pretty bad this year, and the team's new captain is no exception, missing his second straight game tonight due to what seems like an arm injury.

The Kings are currently down to their third goalie, Peter Budaj, after both Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff have fallen in the crease, pulling their groins. Marian Gaborik is also sidelined, although that is a more natural occurrence, as the star sniper and former Minnesota Wild captain hasn't played a full season since 2011-12.

Here is last year's Selke and Lady Byng winner wearing L.A.'s black uniform, on card #FR-AK from Upper Deck's 2009-10 Ice set and Frozen Fabrics sub-set:

It features a white game-worn jersey swatch.

Jack Johnson Autograph Card

Much has been said about Team USA's dead-last finish at the World Cup, particularly about John Tortorella's coaching style and the make-up of the team assembled by Dean Lombardi and Brian Burke, notably the absence of proven (and speedy) goal-scorers such as Phil Kessel, Kyle Okposo and Bobby Ryan, as well as the absence of a Justin Faulk or a Kevin Shattenkirk on defense instead of Erik Johnson or Jack Johnson.

You might recall that last name as either the best defenseman on the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets for a while (say, prior to their trade for Seth Jones) or as the punchline to a surprising headline in 2014, when he filed for bankruptcy (his parents took high-interest loans in his name).

All of which doesn't take away from the fact that, at his best, he is a 30-to-40-point producing defenseman in the NHL. It's not quite what is usually expected from a third-overall draft pick (Carolina Hurricanes, 2005), but that's a #2 or #3 defenseman on most teams, and a #1 on a weak one. His seven points in six playoff games against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 213-14 led all Jackets players, after all.

He's also won every type of medal with the American team: gold (2005 U-18s), silver (2004 U-18s and 2010 Olympics), and bronze (2007 World Juniors).

Here he is wearing the Los Angeles Kings' former black-and-gold uniform, on card #GG-JJ from Upper Deck's beautiful 2007-08 Ice set and Glacial Graphs sub-set:

It's a see-through plastic card (the text from the back can be seen at the top-right portion of the scan) that he signed in blue sharpie.

Kerby Rychel Jersey Card

It's been a rumour-filled three years for Kerby Rychel since being drafted 19th overall in 2013, whether it's his asking for a trade or the Columbus Blue Jackets shopping him around, we'll likely never know the exact truth or the extent thereof, apart from the fact that he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year's draft for relatively cheap: Scott Harrington - previously acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Phil Kessel trade - and a fifth-round pick.

Rychel started the 2015-16 season right, posting 20 points in his first 21 games with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, earning a call-up with the Jackets, who didn't give him a lot of ice time to show what he could do with the puck; instead, probably stemming from Rychel's attitude upon being sent to the minors by original coach Todd Richards mixed in with new coach John Tortorella's will to make him learn to play defensively, he got very few offensive zone starts and often played less than 12 minutes per game.

Upon returning to the Monsters, others (particularly T.J. Tynan and Sonny Milano) had taken his place as the offensive producers for head coach Jared Bednar, and his point production suffered: just 1 goal and 7 points in his last 16 regular-season games, and six points in 17 playoff games for the Calder Cup champions.

So here's to a new start for Rychel; unfortunately, it's with the Leafs, whom I only wish ill to. And here's what Rychel looked like in Columbus' blue (home) uniform, on card #FT-KR from Upper Deck's 2014-15 Ice set and Fresh Threads sub-set:

It contains a matching event-worn jersey swatch from a rookie photo shoot.

Marc Savard Jersey Card

Marc Savard hasn't played a single NHL game since the 25 he suited up for in 2010-11, but that hasn't stopped his rights from moving from the Boston Bruins to the Florida Panthers last season, and from the Panthers to the New Jersey Devils a couple of weeks ago.

Savard had fine beginnings, spending a season and a half with the New York Rangers before being traded to the Calgary Flames, where he quickly yet subtly became part of team's core, finishing fourth in scoring in his first season (Valeri Bure was first) and second (behind Jarome Iginla), in his second season, posting 65 points. In 2001-02, he finished fifth in team scoring with 33 points despite dressing in just 56 games. That's when he first caught the injury bug, however.

Shortly into the 2002-03 season, the Flames sent him to the Atlanta Thrashers for KHLer Ruslan Zainullin; playing with Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley (and later Marian Hossa) both cemented his reputation as a tremendous play-maker, but also as perhaps someone who was merely producing because he was paired with superstars.

But coming out of the 2004-05, he posted a whopping 97 points with the Thrashers in 2005-06, good the ninth in league scoring, and repeated the following year with 96 points as a member of the Bruins, with whom he'd signed as a free agent.

Then the injuries really started to add up in 2009-10: a foot broken twice, an MCL tear in his right knee, and the first significant concussion - on an awful Matt Cooke hit that changed the NHL rule book. A (much lessser) hit by Matt Hunwick ten months later was the final contact he would receive in the NHL, and he is still reeling from post-concussion symptoms to this day, which is why his contract, expiring at the end of the 2016-17 season, is still being shopped around as a commodity, seeing as it counts for $4M on the salary cap but actually only costs $575K in salary. When it expires on July 1st, 2017, he will be able to properly retire - probably as a member of the Bruins, who have treated him well.

I was never a huge fan - and by that I mean I wouldn't buy a jersey of his, cheer for him specifically, or strongly voice my opinion for his inclusion on a national team - but his 706 points in 807 NHL games (plus another 22 in 25 playoff games, and an All-Star Game game-winning goal), half of them in the Dead Puck Era, deserve respect and recognition, at the very least.

I think he'll always be a Bruin to me - which might explain my position towards him - but here he is with the Flames' white (then-home) uniform, with a matching game-worn jersey swatch, on card #J-MS from Upper Deck's terrific 2001-02 Ice set (and Jersey Card sub-set):

It'll temporarily stand as #27 in my Flames Numbers Project (until an autographed card replaces it); it's one of those awesome see-through plastic cards that Ice specializes in.

Jordan Leopold Jersey Card

Jordan Leopold is at home and currently unsigned by any NHL team following last year's heartwarming tale about his daughter writing the Minnesota Wild to acquire him so he could be close to home, which they did.

One team who could use his dependable if slower-than-they-used-to-be defensive-zone skills is the Calgary Flames, whom he played for in two separate stints already (2002-06 and the tail end of the 2008-09 campaign). He looks good in their uniform, too:

That's card #FI-JL of Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice collection (and Fresh Ice sub-set), which features a game-worn red jersey swatch incorporated into a see-through thick plastic card.

The 44th pick of the 1999 draft and Team USA alumnus is a veteran of 695 regular-season NHL games (with 67 goals, 147 assists and 214 points to show for it), and 80 more in the playoffs (with 17 postseason assists), including the Flames' spectacular Stanley Cup Final run of 2003-04 where they led by a goal in the third period of Game 6, blew that lead, and eventually lost Game 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a thrilling series.

Perhaps if he doesn't sign anywhere and calls it a career, he could pull a page from the Robyn Regehr book of beautiful endings and retire as a Flame.

Martin Havlat: 3 Autographed Cards

As it happens relatively often, I've fallen behind on the hockey news when it comes to my blog; part of that is my professional life, part of it is having lost my desktop computer and all the scans I'd prepared on it, but mostly it's because so much is happening around the NHL and the sport at the moment.

So, I'll take it one step at a time, and start with the most recent news, which is that Martin Havlat scored a goal last night (assisted by Scott Gomez), in his first game of the season, after having been signed to a PTO by the St. Louis Blues (like Gomez).

Havlat was originally the 26th player chosen at the 1999 draft; the Ottawa Senators saw in him the same thing they saw in Marian Hossa two years prior, and it's true that perhaps he would have had that career path had he been luckier on the injury front. Alas, he was not, and he has lost a step or two since garnering Selke and Lady Byng votes with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008-09. At that point, the 2000-01 Calder runner-up had already had 3 of his 7 NHL seasons significantly cut by injury, and had only played 73, 72, 67 and 68 games in the other four.

He was, however, nearly a point-per-game player who could play well at both ends and control a game's momentum. He then spent two seasons with the Minnesota Wild in which his point production remained steady (54 points in 73 games in 2009-10 and 62 points off 22 goals in 78 games the following season), but his -19 and -10 differentials were not becoming of what he had shown in the past.

A trade to the San Jose Sharks led to more bad luck (including a broken hamstring from getting his skate caught on the bench) and he wound up on the New Jersey Devils last year, merely registering 14 points in 40 games on one of the worst teams in the league.

I met him a few times between 2002 and 2005, when he was with the Sens. These three cards are probably from the same session, judging by the black sharpie used to sign them.

First, from Upper Deck's always-beautiful see-through plastic 2001-02 Ice set (card #31), wearing the team's superb black uniform:

Wearing the Sens' red uniform comes card #OTG13 from the Own The Game (and Rookie Points) sub-sets of the 2001-02 Topps collection:

And, finally, here's card #142 from the YoungStars sub-set of Topps' 2001-02 Bowman collection:

I wish him continued success. The Blues could use it, and he deserves it. I want him to end his career on a high note, and on his own terms. I honestly do not feel like the Blues are Cup-worthy (nor true contenders), but if he can finish his season playing with the Czech Team at the World Championships and add to his medal count (which already includes gold in 2000 and bronze in 2011, plus gold at the 2000 World Juniors), it would still be better than if he'd called it a day after not having had a contract after training camp.

And, hey, maybe he plays well enough this year that he scores himself a contract for next season. That would be great as well.