Michael Sgarbossa Autograph Card

Michael Sgarbossa is a 24-year-old center who is now proving to be among the AHL's elite point producers, with 3 goals, 3 assists and 6 points in 7 games split between the San Diego Gulls and Springfield Thunderbirds, in addition to two points in 9 games with the Anaheim Ducks at the NHL lever this year, which explains why the Florida Panthers acquired him two weeks ago, in exchange for Logan Shaw.

Sgarbossa's no stranger to packing and unpacking, as he's currently with his fourth NHL organization, and the Thunderbirds are also his fourth AHL team. He also played for three different teams in the OHL - the Barrie Colts, Saginaw Spirit and Sudbury Wolves. He had gone undrafted, but was signed as a free agent by the San Jose Sharks, who traded his rights to the Colorado Avalanche while he was still in Juniors.

Time will tell if the Panthers made a good move by trading for his rights, as time will let us know whether GM Tom Rowe's decision to replace beloved head coach Gerard Gallant - who led the team to its best regular-season finish just last spring - was wise. This after revamping the entire blue line and while young stars Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau were injured, of course.

In the meantime, here is Sgarbossa wearing the Avs' white (away) uniform with the awful piping, on the signed insert version of card #616 from Panini's 2013-14 Score set and Dual Rookie Class and Hot Rookies sub-sets:

It features an on-sticker, blue-sharpied autograph.

Michael Sgarbossa Autograph Card

Not all trades are blockbusters, and yesterday's deal between the Colorado Avalanche sending Michael Sgarbossa over to the Anaheim Ducks for stay-at-home minor-league defenseman Mat Clark didn't make many of the Trade Deadline recap shows, but the undrafted center from small-town Ontario has been pretty consistent at the AHL level, producing at half a point per game on terrible Lake Erie Monsters teams where no one in the top-20 in scoring is in the plusses.

Don't get me wrong, Sgarbossa will need to round out his play without the puck if he aims to stick in the NHL, and perhaps add some grit or will into his game, because his offensive skills - while not bad - aren't nearly enough for him to have a permanent spot on an NHL second line.

He had a spectacular 44-point (in 57 games) rookie campaign in the AHL that led him to an All-Star Game in 2012-13, but was limited to 20 points in 49 games last year (though he had 5 in his first 8 games) and 23 in 40 this season, both a sign of a regression and a testament to just how bad his surroundings were.

Here he is, wearing the Avs' burgundy (home) uniform with the awful piping, from Panini's 2013-14 Contenders set (paper-thin card #206 of the Rookie Ticket and Dual Rookie Class sub-sets), signed on-card in blue sharpie: