Kraken Preview: Matty Beniers 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)

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: Jaden Schwartz (LW), Jamie Oleksiak (D), Eeli Tolvanen (RW), Matt Murray (G)

Key Arrivals: Mackie Samoskevich (RW), Curtis Douglas (C)

Top prospects: Chase Reid (D, 18), Jake O'Brien (C, 19), Jani Nyman (RW, 22), Blake Fiddler (D, 19), Jagger Firkus (RW, 22), Oscar Fisker Molgaard (C, 21)

xxx

What makes their odds look good:
Some of their best prospects are young enough to build sustainable success around... if they break through. Samoskevich coming via trade with the Florida Panthers this summer and Bobby McMann from the Toronto Maple Leafs last year show that new GM Jason Botterill may indeed be the right person to build this team up (and/or he has excellent assistants in Ricky Olczyk, Alexandra Mandrycky, and Ryan Jankowski, to which former Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin was added this summer, along with all the analytics staff).

Question marks:
Will Matty Beniers fulfill the promise of his Calder Trophy-winning season and join the ranks of the All-Stars ot elite? Will Shane Wright get traded, or improve? Will Lane Lambert provide stability (i.e. a four- or five-year run) behind the Seattle Kraken bench for the first time in franchise history?

Outlook:
Like the Detroit Red Wings in yesterday's post, the Kraken seem mired in mediocrity and non-playoff futility. Unlike the Wings, however, their prospect pool includes a lot of players aged 20 or younger, especially among the highest-rated players. There is a light at the end of the tunnel even if the currect crop of players does not get to find success themselves.

Prediction:
6th in the Pacific Division.

Key among players hoping to take another step and either make the jump to the next wave instead of just bridging the gap to it is Beniers, the second-overall pick of the 2021 draft; to be fair, only Jesper Wallstedt (20th, Minnesota Wild) and Wyatt Johnston (23rd, Dallas Stars) have established themselves as top players in the first round from that draft class, with Josh Doan (37th, Arizona Coyotes), Logan Stankoven (47th, Stars), Matthew Knies (57th, Leafs), J.J. Moser (60th, Coyotes), and Jackson Blake (109th, Carolina Hurricanes) looking like steals in the later rounds.

With three 20-goal seasons under his belt, Beniers hasn't been a flop by any means, but the 24 goals, 33 assists and 57 points he registered in his rookie season remain career highs to this day:

Internationally, he has been successful in depth roles on Team USA, winning gold at the 2021 World Juniors and 2025 World Championships, as well as bronze at the 2019 World U-18s and 2025 Worlds.

Here he is on card #60 from Upper Deck's 2024-25 SP Game-Used set and Red Jersey sub-set:

It features a dark blue game-used jersey swatch.

Red Wings Preview: Lucas Raymond Banner 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: Patrick Kane (RW), Cam Talbot (G), Travis Hamonic (D), James van Riemsdyk (LW), David Perron (RW), Erik Gustafsson (D), Sebastian Cossa (G)

Key Arrivals: Viktor Arvidsson (LW), Daniil Tarasov (G), Keegan Kolesar (RW), Jacob Bryson (D), Wilmer Skoog (LW/RW)

Top prospects: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (RW, 20), Trey Augustine (G, 21), J.P. Hurlbert (LW, 19), Carter Bear (LW, 19), Nate Danielson (C, 21), Carter Mazur (LW, 24), Max Plante (LW, 20)

GM Steve Yzerman's failed rebuild stepped down was fired moved on beyond hockey operations just too late to salvage the season at hand, leaving the team without a contract boss two weeks into free agency season, with captain Dylan Larkin requesting a trade out from his hometown team and future #2-3 defender Simon Edvinsson without a contract as a Restricted Free Agent. It is chaos. And it's not like the team was a contender to begin with.

What makes their odds look good:
Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are legitimate top-flight players. Alex DeBrincat is not an accidental 40-goal scorer. I still believe in John Gibson as a 45-to-50-game starting goalie.

Question marks:
What if Larkin is better suited as an elite second-line centre? Is Todd McLellan the coach that can bring an underachieving team to the playoffs, instead of underachieving in the playoffs with well-built teams (as he has in the past with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings)?

Outlook:
This is a mediocre team - in the true sense of the word, not as a metaphor for "bad"; these players are all probably among the 1,000 best in the world which, factoring in the fact that there are elite players in the Juniors circuit and that the KHL, AHL and European leagues are legitimate pro leagues where players deserve to make a living from the sport, means they are legitimate NHLers. That is not where the problem lies; most of their top prospects are in their 20s and have not broken into the league yet. Drafting, which used to be the team's bread and butter (with their owner's deep pockets), no longer finds Hall Of Famers in the late rounds - heck, they often seem to get outdrafted in the first round by later picks from other teams (which could signal to a development issue as well). While an argument can be made every year that they are on the cusp of breaking out and could finally contend for a playoff wild card spot - and they do usually hang around for nearly half the season - the recipe just isn't working, and instead of fighting to be around 15th overall, they fall closer to 30th. These players chosen by this management to be led by this coaching staff (and the last three...) do not produce a good enough result for where the team was 20-30 years ago; they look a whole lot more like the team from the 1980s, and that's what's scary about it.

Prediction:
8th in the Atlantic Division.

For the third straight season, Raymond has produced around a point per game, but he has also improved defensively, with a Fenwick For above 52% and a plus/minus line that has consistently improved as well, going from -32 to -17 to -12 to -15 to +1 in his five NHL seasons. He also took on a larger role with Team Sweden internationally, going from 4 points in 7 games (bronze medal) and 5 points in 5 games (5th place) at the 2020 and 2021 World Juniors respectively, to 8 points in 8 games (6th place) and 9 points in 10 games (bronze medal) at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships, to 3 points in 3 games (3rd place) and 11 points in 10 games (bronze medal) at the 2025 4 Nations tournament and World Championships respectively, to 9 points in 5 games at the 2026 Olympics and 11 points in 8 games at the 20215 Worlds. He's one of the Detroit Red Wings' best players, in his prime, but at 24 years of age, he might not still be when the team's next solid nucleus reach their peaks.

Here he is on card #BYGS-LR from Upper Deck's 2024-25 SP Game-Used set and Banner Year sub-set:

It shows him wearing the Wings' red (home) uniform from the 2023 Global Series (as attested by the patch on his right pectoral muscle), along with a piece of decorative banner from the event:

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.

Canucks Preview: Tiger Williams 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)

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 few 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: Nils Hoglander (LW), Teddy Blueger (C), Marcus Pettersson (D), Jiri Patera (G), Evander Kane (LW), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (D), Derek Forbort (D), Nils Aman (C), Curtis Douglas (C), Joseph LaBate (C)

Key Arrivals: Jamie Oleksiak (D), Luke Schenn (D), Brendan Gallagher (RW), Trey Fix-Wolansky (RW), Akil Thomas (C), Paul Cotter (LW)

Top prospects: Caleb Malhotra (C, 18), Jonathan Lekkerimäki (RW, 22), Braeden Cootes (C, 18), Adam Novotny (LW, 18), Kirill Kudryavtsev (D, 22), Sawyer Mynio (D, 21), Aleksei Medvedev (G, 18), Brooks Rogowski (C, 18)

The Vancouver Canucks are tearing it down to the seams, which explains why the exits are bigger names than the arrivals, and also why they seem to be collecting 18-year-old prospects - because they are.+

What makes their odds look good:
The last time Thatcher Demko suited up for more than half the games, he had stellar numbers: 5 shutouts, a 2.45 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 51 games, finishing as the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy - but that was in 2023-24. Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek are solid pieces, either to help guide the rebuild, or as trade chips.

Question marks:
Elias Pettersson led the team in points last season... with 51. How much longer will the Canucks wait before deciding what their plan is with him?

Outlook:
New General Manager Ryan Johnson, and Co-Presidents Henrik and Daniel Sedin have tapped first-time head coach Manny Malhotra to lead a full rebuild, a multi-year process they hope will resemble how Martin St-Louis impacted the Montréal Canadiens. Only time will tell if these are the right people for the job, but their mandate is clear.

Prediction:
8th in the Pacific Division (last in the NHL).

Over the years, many superstar forwards have suited up for the Canucks: the afore-mentioned Sedin twins, Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi... but few have captured fans' hearts and imagination as much as Dave "Tiger" Williams, the NHL's all-time career leader with 3,971 penalty minutes.

A Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick (second round, 31st overall in 1974, and also third-overall in that year's WHA draft by the Cincinnati Stingers), Williams was often in the team's top-five goal scorers, potting around 20 per year; he was traded to Vancouver midway through the 1979-80 season with Jerry Butler for Bill Derlago and Rick Vaive, who would hit the 50-goal mark three times in Toronto.

He would have a dream season in 1981-82, scoring 35 goals to lead the team, with 27 assists for 62 points (fourth on the team) along with a league-leading 343 penalty minutes in 77 games, earning an All-Star Game appearance where he played on a line with two of the game's best-ever goal scorers, Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy.

He briefly played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins before retiring in 1988 and pretty much immediately began playing in the NHL Alumni program, as well as Leafs Alumni. He was accused of sexual harassment on one such visit to Latvia, for which he charges were eventually dropped after he apologized, although the victim feels the trauma suffered during the incident cost her her flying career. Here he is wearing the white (home) Legends Of Hockey jersey (with the Canucks' logo on his helmet), on card #AF-TW from Upper Deck's 2008-09 SP Game-Used Edition set and Authentic Fabrics and Dual Jerseys sub-sets:

It features two matching event-used white jersey swatches.

2026-27 Upper Deck Hockey MVP Box Break

(team and product links go to sponsored Amazon products, player links go to related pages on my blog, news links go to source pages)

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to grab myself a box of the season's first set, Upper Deck's 2026-27 MVP (Retail version):

The main set has a nice futuristic, computer chip-y design that UD could have used on a more premium set (but I'm glad they didn't):

I miss when the backs had statistics from the previous five seasons, but having an anecdote for every single player is actually a pretty decent feat. The box cost me $80 (plus taxes, which amounts to $92) for 36 packs of 7 cards each - 252 in total. All told, I pulled 29 insert cards, which means I got 223 base cards.

As far as inserts go, here is how they break down: 6 Silver Scripts, a returning sub-set, of Sam Bennett, Tim Stützle, Nils Hoglander, Dylan Strome, Vincent Trocheck, and Alex Laferriere:

Now, granted, these aren't Young Guns from the flagship product, but folks are mostly chasing the Rookies cards, of which I pulled 7 (the first four of which I'm very happy to have): Nathan Gaucher, Anton Frondell, Konsta Helenius, Cole Hutson, Drew Fortescue, Avery Hayes, and Sandis Vilmanis:

Another returning sub-set is Clutch Performers, where I present you Nikita Kucherov and Carter Verhaeghe:

Paired Up features two players who at least ended the season on the same team, as seen here with Brady Tkachuk / Stützle of the Ottawa Senators and Kirill Kaprizov / Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild:

Gotta Have Hart is a good idea, but I'm on the mind that Nathan MacKinnon may have a better chance of winning it than William Nylander:

The Slot (possibly the heir to the "old" Net Crashers sub-set) sees Martin Necas and a pre-wealthy Leo Carlsson playing around the opposite goalie:

There were two Welcome Freshmen cards, of Danny Zhilkin and Angus Booth:

Another sub-set that is reminiscent of the past is Let It Rip!!!, with Boldy and Sidney Crosby:

But my very favourite sub-set this year is the (card-sized with rounded edges) Stickers. What a terrific design!

That's Josh Samanski, Vilmanis, Quinn Hughes and Necas.

Affordability and value are key issues in 2026, and the design of these cards make it a solid 8/10.