Louis Leblanc Jersey Card

The Anaheim Ducks signed former Montréal Canadiens prospect Louis Leblanc to a one-year, two-way contract earlier this weekend, probably as a means to really show what he can do in their own system, and be assessed by their own staff rather than look at the raw stats and read dumb comments like ''what a bust'' from anonymous internet bloggers who have never seen him play.

Every single one of his statistics can be used in a positive and negative light: he played 8 games with the Habs last year, without registering a single point - but he played less than 10 minutes a game and was a +1; he only scored 13 goals for the Hamilton Bulldogs this past year - it was the 4th-best total on the team despite being the third-line center (behind Martin St. Pierre and Gabriel Dumont); he only scored 13 the year before - yeah, but that ranked second on the team, despite missing 20 games with a serious injury.

To me, all of that shows promise, and how a difficult context can hinder one's progress. Of course, he'll have to either put the past behind or use it as motivation, but he can't solely focus on the time he's lost with the Habs, because that might lead him the Angelo Esposito route and have him play in second-tier Italian leagues in no time.

This won't be his last chance to play in the NHL by any stretch of the imagination, but it could be the last time someone offers him a legitimate chance at proving he can be a  long-time quality second-line player.

And so this should be my last post on Mr. Leblanc until he scores his first NHL hat trick or something; what better way to do it than with this beautiful 2012-13 Artifacts (card #141) by Upper Deck, numbered #11/125, featuring two swatches - one of them a two-colour one - of him playing for Team Canada:

He medaled twice for Canada, having won gold at the 2008 U-18 / Ivan Hlinka tournament, and silver at the 2011 World Juniors, posting 12 points in 11 games in those tournaments, finishing first and fourth in team scoring, respectively.

Louis Leblanc Autograph Card

It was bound to happen, and it did: after forcing him into as many bad decisions as they could, the Montréal Canadiens have traded their first-round pick of 2009 to the Anaheim Ducks.

Indeed, upon being drafted, Louis Leblanc was headed to Harvard for a fine education and what his hockey career needed the most: a concise schedule, and a lot of off-ice time in the gym to bulk up his 6'1'', 170-pound frame.

Instead, the Habs insisted he play his Junior hockey in the LHJMQ, where his odds of playing at the World Juniors would be greater (he had been cut from Team Canada after his first NCAA season despite having previously been its best player at the U-17 Ivan Hlkina Memorial Tournament the year before when it won gold). In that respect, it worked, because he made the 2011 silver-medal team and finished fourth in scoring (including a short-handed goal) with 7 points in 7 games, but many viewed his 58-point season (in 51 games) in the Q as disappointing for a first-rounder.

2011-12 was a better year for him, personally, as he tallied 11 goals, 11 assists and 22 points in 31 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs, leading to a call-up with the Habs for the bulk of the season, where he compiled a 5-5-10 stat sheet in 42 games, mostly in fourth-line duties.

But a new management and coaching staff was brought in for 2012-13, both at the NHL and AHL levels, and a training camp injury mixed with the lock-out gave every other prospect in the organization a better chance at impressing their bosses. Also, the Habs' brass thought he'd have a better chance of reaching the NHL on a more permanent basis - at least with their own team - if he were to become a two-way, third-line center than be used in an offensive role, so they asked Bulldogs head coach Sylvain Lefebvre not to give him the best offensive minutes, leading to a bit of a clash in philosophies between the two.

Like any huge corporation, the Habs are run in an ''old school'' manner that will be very difficult to change. They want a first line that can put points up on the board, a second line that can chip in two nights out of three, a third line to counter the opposition's top line, and a fourth line made up of grinders.

In today's NHL, however, where there are very few 80-point players and where those who do reach that milestone rarely can in consecutive seasons, you're better off having a top-9 who can all play both ways for 18-20 minutes a game and all have the potential to reach 55-75 points year in and year out (and maybe 90 once or twice if the stars are aligned) - like the Boston Bruins, the Los Angeles Kings, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Anaheim Ducks, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Not just that, Montréal's first-liners are 60-point men (granted, one's a 39-goal scorer) and the team's best center plays second-line minutes, usually paired off with third-liners - yet still outscores or equals the ''first-liner''.

And that's why a 5th-round pick for Leblanc is a nice gamble for Anaheim. He's now listed at 186 pounds, has the flair to create offense, has learned how to defend a bit better, and he'll be pissed off and focused to try to prove the Canadiens wrong, all in the shadow and under the protection and watchful eye of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, François Beauchemin and maybe even Saku Koivu.

And to put his ''disappointing'' AHL totals of the past two years in perspective, his 10 goals in 2012-13 were good for second on the team (despite missing 20 games to injury, and playing fourth-line duties upon his return); he ranked 5th in goals, 6th in points and 7th in penalty minutes in 2013-14. And he made the All-Rookie Team at nearly every level he played at.

And so, when I got this 2013-14 Team Canada insert by Upper Deck (the same as the regular #150 card but with a sticker autograph signed in blue sharpie), I was delighted:

Louis Leblanc: 5 Autographed Items

Seemingly forgotten about amid all the top-tier prospects gracing the Montréal Canadiens lineup and AHL affiliate is 2009 first-round pick (18th overall) Louis Leblanc, who did suit up for 42 NHL games last season, but who was slowed down by a high ankle sprain for the 2012-13 season, ion which he amassed a mere 18 points in 62 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs when he'd put up 22 in 31 games the previous season in the AHL to go with his 10 in 42 games with the Habs.

Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said it best when he mentioned that had it might have been better had he broken the ankle, since there is a clear timetable when that happens, and the player is out of the lineup completely, not trying to play despite the pain.

That's all fine and well, but it doesn't explain why Bulldogs head coach Sylvain Lefebvre had him skating on the third line all year, especially since he'd shown some fine playmaking, skating and shooting skills last season, one of the few positives for a team that finished last in its conference. He was rookie of the year in the USHL in 2008-09, again the next year when suiting up for the Harvard Crimson, and could have earned nods for that honour last year had he remained in the AHL the whole time. In his one season with the LHJMQ's Montréal Junior, he collected 58 points and 100 penalty minutes in 51 games in the pressure cooker that is not only his hometown, but also the city his NHL team called home.

Maybe they just want to break him, like they did with Mike Ribeiro; if so, maybe he'll just blossom wearing another uniform...

I wrote Leblanc a fan letter on January 24, 2013, with these 3 cards and got them all abck today, signed in blue sharpie, along with this scary note from Canada Post:

Still, most of the cards are unscathed, save for a corner here and there, which doesn't bother me for signed cards.

First up is this 2011-12 AHL Top Prospects card (15 in the set) from Choice Sportscards - your AHL card leader:

Next up is a completely different card, from a whole other brand - from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects (card #205, AHL Rookie sub-set):

Reminds me of past Alain Chevrier cards...

And finally, an NHL card, from Panini's 2012-13 Score set (card #280), taking a shot under the watchful eye of Tomas Plekanec:

The note from Canada Post was a good reminder why I put index cards in the first place: for protection. It doesn't show so much in these scans, but both took a beating and are folded and creased left of his signature:

I'm very happy with this return. I wish Leblanc the best for next season, hopefully at the NHL level.