Maple Leafs Preview: Vincent Damphousse 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 the season just starting, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) two star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are tight at the top of the salary cap, which means there is much left to do.

Key exits: Joseph Woll (G), Matthew Knies (LW), Steven Lorentz (C), Dennis Hildeby (G), Nick Robertson (LW), Brandon Carlo (D), Simon Benoît (D), Matias Maccelli (LW), Henry Thrun (D), Emil Andrae (D)

Key Arrivals: Darren Raddysh (D), Kirill Marchenko (RW), Jack Roslovic (C), Sergei Bobrovsky (C), Nick Paul (LW),Zack MacEwen (RW), Brandon Duhaime (LW), Teddy Blueger (C), Colton Sissons (C),Miles Wood (LW),Elvis Merzlikins (G)

Top prospects: Gavin McKenna (RW, 18), Miroslav Holinka (C, 20), Ben Danford (D, 20),Jacob Quillan (C, 24), Noah Chadwick (D, 21), Alexander Bilecki (D, 18), Artur Aktyamov (C, 24), Ethan MacKenzie (D, 20)

I thought the Toronto Maple Leafs would make the playoffs last season despite losing Mitch Marner, but McKenna should provide some of the offense that was lost a year ago, though the leadership angle will have to wait a little bit - I don't see him taking over a locker room that already includes captain Auston Matthews and former captain John Tavares.

What makes their odds look good:
He's been away from the game for a while, but GM John Chayka still co-owned Stathletes with sister Meghan Chayka and Neil Lane, so he still kept tabs on NHL players and kept digging on the analytics front. Expect smart bets on young players coming out of their entry-level deals like he did with the Arizona Coyotes, and savvy veteran additions.

Question marks:
Is signing Bobrovsky for three years a savvy decision, though? Is Jim Hiller an NHL-caliber head coach despite what we saw him do with the Los Angeles Kings for the past two and a half years??

Outlook:
William Nylander is probably good for 90 points, Matthews should get back in the 30-to-35-goal range, Oliver Ekman-Larsson continues to defy age and Marchenko probably enjoys a year-long honeymoon in Toronto, who are very improved from last year. Enough to make the playoffs? Enough to make it interesting until the final week of the season.

Prediction:
5th in the Atlantic Division.

I tend to think of Vincent Damphousse as an important player for the San Jose Sharks and the Leafs, not as much for the Montréal Canadiens or Edmonton Oilers - but the truth is that, statistically, his highest totals have come in Montréal and his lowest were in San Jose. I'll say this though: Damphousse made the Sharks a serious team whose move to replace him as a centre after his retirement was to acquire Art Ross winner Joe Thornton in-season. To get back to the Leafs, however, they were the first team with which he broke the 30-goal and 90-point marks for the first time, going 33-61-94 in 80 games in 1989-90. Here he is wearing their classic 1980s blue (away) uniform on card #34 from In The Game's 2003-04 Original 6 - Toronto Maple Leafs set:

He signed it in-person in fading black sharpie at the Bell Centre 10-15 years ago, definitely after his ugly divorce.

Senators Preview: Thomas Chabot 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 the regular season being set to start today, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) two star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much work left to do.

Key exits: Brady Tkachuk (RW), Lars Eller (C), James Reimer (G), Nick Jensen (D), Dennis Gilbert (D), Lassi Thomson (D), Olle Lycksell (F), Mads Sogaard (G), Arthur Kaliyev (RW), Jan Jenik (D)

Key arrivals: William Eklund (RW), Samuel Ersson (G), André Burakovsky (LW), Samuel Blais (LW), Philip Tomasino (RW)

Top prospects: Carter Yakemchuk (D, 20), Logan Hensler (D, 19), Jonas Lagerberg Hoen (RW, 18), Blake Montgomery (LW, 21), Jorian Donovan (D, 22), Leevi Meriläinen (G, 24), Jaxon Cover (LW, 18), Xavier Bourgault (RW, 23)

The Ottawa Senators did some fine house cleaning in the offseason, clearing/cleansing the air in the (neighbouring) nation's capital.

What makes their odds look good:
Tim Stützle is a legitimate #1 centre, Jake Sanderson is an all-world defenseman, Thomas Chabot has been to an All-Star Game, Linus Ullmark is a Vezina winner, Artem Zub is a world-class defensive defenseman, Drake Batherson is a true top-six sniper, Claude Giroux still has gas left in the tank, Dylan Cozens is a good secondary centerman, Warren Foegle brings the lower-tier power forward element, Ridly Greig is a terrific wish-you-were-on-my-team pest (while Nick Cousins is the league's most-despised one), and Eklund still has untapped potential to break out as a first-liner.

Question marks:
Head coach Travis Green took a giant leap forward last season - does he have another step ahead in him? Is the Tkachuk addition-by-subtraction with the actual addition of Eklund enough to remain a wild-card team while the Florida Panthers get healthy again and the Toronto Maple Leafs have improved?

Outlook:
This is a good team with plenty of youth who can improve. They'd make the playoffs in any other division, but it's going to be a dogfight in this one.

Prediction:
6th in the Atlantic Division.

The Sens did the right thing today and righted a wrong from five years ago by naming Chabot the team captain. He had previously been a long-serving alternate captain for the team; internationally, he has worn both the "A" (2017 World Juniors, where he was tournament MVP) and "C" (2022 World Championships) in leading Team Canada to gold medals, a feat he also achieved at the 2019 Worlds.

Here he is wearing Ottawa's magnificent white (away) uniform on card # 127 from Upper Deck's 2021-22 Series 1 set, which he signed in blue charpie around 2023:

Blue Jackets Preview: Kirill Marchenko 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 the regular season being set to start in a matter of days, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) two more star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much work left to do.

Key exits: Kirill Marchenko (RW), Miles Wood (LW), Elvis Merzlikins (G), Boone Jenner (C), Mason Marchment (LW), Danton Heinen (LW), Egor Zamula (D), Brendan Smith (D), Zach Aston-Reese (LW/RW), Brendan Gaunce (C), Ivan Fedotov (G), Dysin Mayo (D), Hunter McKown (C)

Key arrivals: Matthew Knies (LW), Steven Lorentz (C), Emil Andrae (D), Valeri Nichushkin (RW), Ryan Lomberg (LW), Colton White (D), Phoenix Copley (G), Luke Tuch (RW)

Top prospects: Jackson Smith (D, 19), Cayden Lindstrom (C, 20), Pyotr Andreyanov (G, 19), Jordan Dumais (RW, 22), Sergei Ivanov (G, 22), Oscar Hemming (LW, 18)

I was waiting for the Marchenko shoe to drop before posting my Columbus Blue Jackets review and, as expected, it turned out to be a blockbuster.

What makes their odds look good:
They still have the reigning Norris Trophy winner in Zach Werenski, who nixed a trade to the Dallas Stars this summer to remain in Columbus. Knies is a 23-year-old top-6 forward with untapped offensive potential. Jet Greaves looks solid in net. Adam Fantilli extended well into his prime as training camp came to a close.

Question marks:
As the Werenski and Marchenko sagas proved, players are impatient to win, and not everyone sees the Blue Jackets as a team who can be a Stanley Cup contender in a relatively short window; they are on most no-trade lists and thus must draft, develop and nurture talent to get there.

Outlook:
General Manager Don Wadell has experience assembling and running teams that aren't exactly a destination, having previously served in the same position with the Atlanta Thrashers (1998-2010) and Carolina Hurricanes (2018-2024), the latter winning the Cup with his former assistant Eric Tulsky tweaking the lineup just a few months ago. He got enough good pieces back in the Marchenko trade that he doesn't need to pivot to (another) rebuild, he just needs to make sure he has the right coaching and development staff so that as many prospects as possible reach the NHL and have an impact. For now, they are a bubble playoff team with the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins all fighting for a wild-card spot.

Prediction:
5th in the Metropolitan Division.

Marchenko is a tall, heavy player (6'3", over 200 pounds) with great hands who can protect the puck, deke multiple opponents on the same play and shoot accurately. He led the Jackets in goals in the last three seasons, posting nearly a point per game in 2024-25; on a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, he has a shot at 40-goal and 85-to-90-point seasons. Here he is on the "Red Jersey" variant of card #18 from Upper Deck's 2024-25 SP Game-Used Edition set:

It shows him wearing the Jackets' blue (away) uniform, and carries a matching game-worn jersey swatch.

Islanders Preview: Ryan Pulock 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 days, 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: Anders Lee (LW), David Rittich (G), Carson Soucy (D), Adam Boqvist (D), Maxim Shabanov (RW), Marc Gatcomb (C), Travis Mitchell (D), Cole McWard (D)

Key Arrivals: Matias Maccelli (LW), Vitek Vanacek (G), Matthew Kessel (D),Mitchell Chaffee (LW), Logan Stanley (D)

Top prospects: Malte Gustafsson (D, 20), Victor Eklund (LW/RW, 19), Kashawn Aitcheson (D, 20),Cole Eiserman (LW, 20), Dmitri Gamzin (G, 23), Danny Nelson (C, 21)

Losing captain Lee and a roster's worth of depth defensemen with none of them being replaced by new arrivals (save for Stanley earlier today) means the prospect pool (ranked 9th in the NHL by The Athletic) will be asked to jump in and play important roles. Head coach Peter DeBoer will have to balance teaching, accepting mistakes and winning enough to be in the mix for the playoffs.

What makes their odds look good:
A fine prospect pool, an elite goaltending tandem (Ilya Sorokin and a returning Semyon Varlamov from a two-year injury rehab), a smart GM in Mathieu Darche, and a superstar in the making in Matthew Schaeffer are a good starting point.

Question marks:
xxx

Outlook:
Hopefully, Bo Horvat and Brayden Schenn can combine to replace Lee's leadership, but this isn't the team that will end DeBoer's streak of not winning Stanley Cups despite being the most-hyped coach on the market.

Prediction:
6th in the Metropolitan Division.

Now in his 12th NHL season, Ryan Pulock is still dependable, although no longer among the best defensive defensemen in the league who got Norris votes in 2020-21; he remains an effective pair with Adam Pelech, but they are now a second pairing playing fewer minutes against elites, while Schaeffer gets the most ice time. Here he is from a set a decade ago:

That's card #RM-RP from Upper Deck's 2016-17 Series 2 set and Rookie Materials sub-set, and features a silver swatch of a jersey worn in a rookie photoshoot.

Video Of The Week: Bizarre

(product links go to sponsored Amazon products, previous post links go to related pages on my blog, news and place links go to source pages)

There was a time around the turn of the millennium when Eminem was on top on the world - not just in rap, but he led the entire music industry. His albums were consistently at #1 despite boy band / girl group pop dominance, and he took it upon himself the use his tide to rise everyone in his orbit who deserved it, notably via D12 (a.k.a. The Dirty Dozen), a collective of talented artists that also included Proof (deceased in 2006), Bizarre, Denaun "Mr." Porter (a.k.a. Kon Artis) , Kuniva and Swifty McVay (the latter two keeping the mantle alive to this day); Obie Trice was a fequent collaborator.

Many of these rappers, like Eminem himself, mixed wit, sarcasm, and humour with astute observations of difficult upbringings to create a brand of hip hop that was relatively unique in the mainstream, with Bizarre being the one who would usually push the boundaries of good taste with off-kilter references and associations, such as:

I'm not bisexual I'm an intellectual, transsexual, with one testicle
And I ain't saying shit just 'cause it rhymes, I got colon cancer - I'm dying

or

There’s no way I could be the gay rapper: I only fuck animals

Shock value was his calling card.

Cut to today, where he doesn't seem as alert as he used to be (his speed has slowed to a Notorious B.I.G. level), is still prone to mixing the funny with the braggadocio and reality-based texts, but with more cultural references and a lot less in-your-face shock. His new song Mercy is the second single off of Don't Cross The Street and is much better than the previous one, Amityville 2: This was directed by ad agency Mic Drop Media.

This Week's Top 10s

(product links go to sponsored Amazon products, previous post links go to related pages on my blog, news and place links go to source pages)

Top 10 Songs:

10. MISTAKEN IDENTITY, Everlast (2026)
9. SCOTCH & POCHES, Bleu Jeans Bleu (2026)
8. MERCY, Bizarre (2026)
7. ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID, t.A.T.u. (2002)
6. GONE AWAY, The Offspring (1997)
5. DAI DAI, Shakira featuring Burna Boy (2026)
4. THE FATE OF OPHELIA, Taylor Swift (2026)
3. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME, Olivia Rodrigo & Robert Smith (2026)
2. FABIEN K, Angine De Poitrine (2026)
1. FAUT QUE TU DISES WOW, Bleu Jeans Bleu (2026)

Avalanche Preview: Martin Nečas & Nathan MacKinnon 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 days, 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: Ross Colton (C), Jack Drury (C), Valeri Nichushkin (RW), Alex Barré-Boulet (C), Jack Ahcan (D), Ivan Ivan (C), Isak Posch (G), Chase Bradley (RW), Joel Kiviranta (LW), Nick Blankenburg (D), Jason Polin (RW)

Key Arrivals: Jaden Schwartz (LW), Zachary L'Heureux (LW), Fedor Svechkov (C), Magnus Chrona (G), Fabian Lysell (RW), Vincent Hinostroza (C), Noah Juulsen (D)

Top prospects: Egor Shilov (C, 18), Ilya Nabokov (G, 23), T.J. Hughes (C/RW, 24), Gavin Brindley (RW, 21), Mikhail Gulyayev (D, 21), Lysell (RW, 23), Sean Behrens (D, 23), Francesco Dell'Elce (D, 21)

Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon once again lead this veteran team as the cream of the NHL in what is now a changed salary landscape. This is the last year of Makar's low cap hit, which likely means the Colorado Avalanche's Stanley Cup contention window will fade for a couple of seasons before opening up again in 2030. This franchise is led by elite talent, both on the ice and in management, as was cemented by Joe Sakic confirming he will stay on as Avs GM for the foreseeable future.

What makes their odds look good:
They dominated the NHL so much in their first 50 games last year - 35 wins, 6 regular-time losses, 9 overtime losses - that they could afford to coast to the Presidents' Trophy despite tons of injuries to key players in the second half (and the three playoff rounds). There has been a churning of the depth, but the star players remain, and they still have the best goaltending tandem in the league. It might not be as easy as last year, because head coach Jared Bednar will want his team to pace itself, but another finish at the top is a very strong possibility.

Question marks:
Injuries can happen, as can fatigue with the head coach; but apart from that (and perhaps even despite it), this team should finish in the top-3 in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Outlook:
With secondary scoring like Brock Nelson (coming off his fourth 30-goal season), Martin Nečas (38 goals and 100 points last season, effectively replacing Mikko Rantanen, whom he was traded for), Nazem Kadri (still producing at 2 points per 3 games pace), Schwartz, tough third-linner Nicolas Roy, clutch playoff performer Artturi Lehkonen and captain Gabriel Landeskog, the Avs are the deepest team in the West with far less competition than the Florida Panthers have in the East. And that's without mentioning Olympian Devon Toews on the back end, helped by Brent Burns, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson and Brett Kulak.

Prediction:
1st in the NHL.

Today being my birthday, my kids and wife each gifted me a special hockey card - and this was the one my son chose for me:

That's card #T2-MR from Upper Deck's 2025-26 Artifacts collection and Tundra Teammates sub-set, featuring Nečas and MacKinnon, two 100-point superstars each with a piece of game-worn jersey, numbered 50/99. I likely never would have pulled it out of a box myself, and MacKinnon is one of my favourite players, so you can imagine how stoked I was to receive it.

Rangers Preview: Eddie Mio 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 week, 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: Conor Sheary (RW), Vincent Trocheck (C), Brett Berard (LW), Trey Fix-Wolansky (RW), Johnny Brodzinski (C), William Borgen (D), Jonathan Quick (G), Adam Edstrom (D), Connor Mackey (D)

Key Arrivals: Pavel Dorofeyev (LW), Joonas Korpisalo (G), Joe Veleno (C), Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW), Marcus Pettersson (D), Sean Durzi (D), William Trudeau (D), Marc Del Gaizo (D), Cole Beaudoin (C), Dennis Cholowski (D)

Top prospects: Liam Greentree (RW, 20), Malcolm Spence (LW, 19), E.J. Emery (D, 20), Alberts Smits (D, 18), Dylan Garand (G, 24)

That is a lot of turnover, slight improvements, and a prospect pool that doesn't seem ready to jump into a prominent role just yet.

What makes their odds look good:
Any team with Igor Shesterkin in net has a chance to win an NHL game - he's in the top-5 of his profession. Alexis Lafrenière has shown flashes of what first-overall draft picks can sometimes bring, in mostly a secondary role thus far, save for a few spot appearances alongside Artemi Panarin; he will now be given a more prominent role, and will be expected to produce at a much higher rate - anything below 65 points will be a disappointment.

Question marks:
GM Chris Drury has seemed to sabotage a team that made it to the Conference Final not so long ago by trading away all of its key players before announcing a rebuild. It stands to reason he wouldn't still have a job if he didn't have a plan, but he has not made any of it public. Does Adam Fox have another Norris-level season in him before the next generation (Matthew Schaefer, Lane Hutson) steps in to challenge Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and co.?

Outlook:
There are still good pieces there, and Mike Sullivan is a good head coach. It's just... something is missing - something big. Maybe Drury is a genius and the team lands the best player in the world next summer, but in the meantime, the New York Rangers seem to just be treading water, bordering on drowning.

Prediction:
8th in the Metropolitan Division.

Eddie Mio is exactly the type of journeyman I love. Drafted in both the NHL (124th overall, Chicago Blackhawks) and WHA (138th overall, Vancouver Blazers) in 1974, he would play with neither and instead make his way into the AHL and NAHL before landing with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers, where he would befriend a certain Wayne Gretzky, with whom he would be traded to the Edmonton Oilers prior to their merger into the NHL.

He would play in Edmonton for two seasons before having to make way for Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog, and was thus traded to the Rangers for minor-leaguer Lance Nethery, where he would also remain for two seasons, after which he was sent to the Detroit Red Wings along with off-ice star Ron Duguay and Ed Johnstone for Mike Blaisdell, Willie Huber and Mark Osborne. He would retire as a Wing after the 1985-86 season - the first year I started paying attention to hockey.

Here he is getting ready for a shot wearing the Rangers' white (then-home) uniform, on card #639 from Upper Deck's 1991-92 Series 2 set and Heroes of The NHL sub-set, which he signed in black sharpie after an NHL alumni game:

After his playing career, he continued to move around and recycle himself, first as a high-profile player agent representing the likes of Sergei Fedorov and Joe Thornton, then as Director of Player Development for the Phoenix Coyotes, and he is now the Director of North America and agent for Octane Sports, a full-service talent agency that provides not just contract negotiation but also nutritionists, trainers and PR coaches.

Flames Preview: : Matthew Coronato 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 week, 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: Blake Coleman (C), Victor Oloffson (LW), Étienne Morin (D), Ryan Lomberg (LW), Olli Maata (D)

Key Arrivals: Simon Nemec (D), Maxim Tsyplakov (RW), Jake Middleton (D)

Top prospects: Zayne Parekh (D, 20), Cole Reschny (C, 19), Carson Carels (D, 19), Samuel Honzek (LW, 22), Cullen Potter (C, 19), Henry Mews (D, 20), Ethan Wyttenbach (LW, 19), Matvei Gridin (RW, 20)

The Calgary Flames are one of two teams - with the Vancouver Canucks - who are at the teardown part of their rebuild, which should see them finish in the bottom two teams in the NHL.

What makes their odds look good:
Dustin Wolf is looking for a bounce-back season in nets, Nemec and Parekh will be very good on their blue line for years to come, Zach Whitecloud and Middleton makes them hard to play against right now, and there are a lot of promising forwards that should reach their prime in the next two to five years - but they're not there yet, and their ceilings have yet to be determined.

Question marks:
How long of a leash does Wolf have in net - or does it even matter if he falters since the point of this season (and the next two or three) is still to stockpile quality draft hauls? Matt Coronato led the team last season with 45 points; can someone reach 55 or 60 this year? How long does head coach Ryan Huska have to show improvement?

Outlook:
This rebuild will determine GM Craig Conroy's future employment: a successful one sees him continue with the Flames, and failure will likely mean he will not get another chance anywhere else. And you never know how it'll pan out: teams usually trade veterans for draft capital, but who you trade to and where those teams finish impacts the selection rank; then you have to make the right picks - best player, most upside, best work ethic, best fit - the team determines the criteria; and you need to develop those guys into the best versions of themselves, which requires not just a good hockey staff but also training facilities, good working environment, team culture. For now, we know the Flames will not enter their new arena as contenders next season, but we have no idea how long it will be until they come knocking at the playoff's door.

Prediction:
7th in the Pacific Division.

As mentionned previously, Coronato seems to be at the front of the pack of young Flames forwards. Here he is on card #BYHC-MC from Upper Deck's 2024-25 SP Game-Used collection and Banner Year and Heritage Classic sub-sets, wearing the Flame's uniform from that game:

As stated on the back of the card, it features a piece of banner that was used at the event. Specifically, the bottom-right part of the event's logo:

Coronato has been a point-per-game player in the USHL, in the NCAA for the Harvard Crimson, and in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers:

From what I have seen, he has good hands and isn't afraid of traffic, using physical contact to protect the puck and/or move it forward. He's a little on the small side at 5'10" and 183 pounds, but already has seasons of 24 (47 points) and 18 goals (45 points) under his belt; 30-goal seasons are not beyond his capabilities (he scored 48 in 2020-21 on his way to being named the USHL's Forward Of The Year). He is currently on a seven-year contract that will pay him $6.5M per season. In the current NHL landscape, it'll be second-line money in two or three years.

Penguins Preview: Two Autographed John Cullen Cards

(team, Lemieux 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 my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, 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 little over a week, 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: Anthony Mantha (RW), Stuart Skinner (G), Kevin Hayes (RW), Parker Wotherspoon (D), Connor Clifton (D), Noel Acciari (C), Ryan Shea (D), Jack St. Ivany (D), Joona Koppanen (LW), Bokondji Imama (LW).

Key arrivals: Kaedan Korczak (D), Nick Robertson (LW), Hendrix Lapierre (C), Andrei Kuzmenko (LW), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D), Declan Carlile (D)

Top prospects: Will Horcoff (LW, 19), Liam Ruck (RW, 20), Harrison Brunicke (D, 20), Rutger McGroarty (RW/LW, 22), Bill Zonnon (C, 19), Sergei Murashov (G, 22), Owen Pickering (D, 22).

xxx

What makes their odds look good:
The team still has its trio of three-time Stanley Cup champions in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, in addition to multiple-Norris winner Erik Karlsson, around which GM Kyle Dubas is adding youth and rebuilding its skill level.

Question marks: xxx

Outlook:
This team will battle for a wild card spot until the end on the basis of their talent level, but would require a miracle to make a deep playoff run the likes of which management expects (and top three stars want to bookend their careers with).

Prediction:
7th in the Metropolitan Division.

There is a common misconception about John Cullen's time with the Penguins, that he owes his point production to Mario Lemieux playing with him and feeding him easy points on a platter, but the truth is that Cullen was mostly active in replacing Lemieux during his stint on long-term injured reserve. In his rookie season, Cullen posted 49 points in 79 games, but as Lemieux missed 21 games the following season with a back injury, Cullen took his place on the top line with Kevin Stevens on his left and Rob Brown or Mark Recchi on his right, producing to the tune of 92 points in 72 games.

Most players on that squad, however, had terrible defensive numbers, with Hall of Famer Paul Coffey showing the worst plus/minus at -25 and Lemieux trailing him at -18 in 59 games (but 45 goals, 78 assists and 123 points as a counter-argument. Cullen himself was -13, tied with Stevens.

In 1990-91, with rookie Jaromir Jagr in tow, the Pens started having Stanley Cup aspirations and knew they had to get better defensively, but also to add an edge to their game, and they did so by sending Cullen, powerpplay quarterback Zarley Zalapski and hard-nosed grinder Jeff Parker to the Hartford Whalers for captain and unquestioned leader Ron Francis, one of the game's dirtiest players ever in Ulf Samuelsson, and Grant Jennings, changing the entire makeup of the team. For his part, Cullen's 16 points (8 goals and 8 assists) in 13 games compensated for part of Francis' contribution, and his following season's 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 77 games were not to shabby either, but in making that trade, the Whalers were hoping to bring their own team up to the level of the two best teams in the division, the Boston Bruins and Montréal Canadiens, which was decidedly not the case.

On November 24th, 1992, the Whalers decided to cut their losses and dealt an injured Cullen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second-round pick, a month and a half into the season. He actually wore a neck brace/protector for much of his time with the Leafs, then went back to Pittsburgh for one year (37 points in 46 games playing behind Francis in the last season before the beginning of the Dead Puck Era).

With Lemieux eyeing a return for 1995-96, Francis still in town and the likes of Petr Nedved and Bryan Smolinki getting acquired via trade over the summer, Cullen's time with the Pens was coming to an end, and the Tampa Bay Lightning came calling at the right moment to offer him the 2C job behind oft-forgotten point-per-game-producer Brian Bradley. As Bradley was replaced by Chris Gratton, Cullen kept producing, with seasons of 50 and 55 points in Tampa before terrible news broke...

After two months of coughing with what he thought was an intense flu or cold, his wife convinced him to reach out to team doctors, who found a black mass in his lungs: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. During treatment, while in-hospital, he even suffered cardiac arrest, but after an 18-month fight and rehabilitation, he attempted a comeback that lasted 4 NHL games with the Lightning and 6 games with the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks, including a league-record seven-point game against the Chicago Wolves (a 7-3 win). His comeback attempt won him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 1998-99 season. It was around that time that the NHL initiated the Hockey Fights Cancer program.

All this being said, this is how I remember him most, wearin g the Pens' black (away) uniform with the alternate captain's "A", as seen on card #232 from Pro Set's 1990-91 Series 1 collection:

He was such an important player for the Pens that he seemingly also wore the captain's "C" on at least one occasion (which could have been during training camp), as seen on card #20 from O-Pee-Chee's 1990-91 OPC Premier set:

While both cards were clearly not signed with the same sharpie (both black, but one thin and one thicker), they did come at the same session, at a card show in Georgia in the early 00s.