14-15 Artifacts Gold Spectrum Evgeny Kuznetsov Patch Auto Rookie /3

Let's file this under reasons why you should ALWAYS go to your LCS on a regular basis. I stopped by a while back and just went to chat with the owner about this and that and as we were talking I spotted the below card in the showcase:


14-15 Artifacts Gold Spectrum Evgeny Kuznetsov Patch Auto Rookie /3

I was awestruck. The patches were fantastic, the signature is good and numbered 1/3!! That's pure ebay 1/1 gold! So to top it all off, he's a decent prospect and a rookie I've been looking to possibly add to the collection. The price....less than 2 packs of Artifacts! I know that's a lot of exclamation points but truth be told, they were totally warranted!

What to do with this card? I know I can sell it and make a handsome profit, I know I could trade it and probably do well there too. But for the meantime, I think I'm just going to enjoy it. I asked the owner how he came across this card and he said that the guy who pulled it buys packs all the time and usually just leaves stuff behind in exchange for more packs. I guess there are collectors like that out there but given the cost of the card, he probably wouldn't have been able to trade it for much which boggles this blogger's mind.

Kuznetsov had his first full NHL season this year and finished up with 11 goals, 26 assists and 37 points in 80 games. He then put another 5 in the net during this past post-season and was electric at times. While his numbers seem small, taking time to adjust to the NHL is expected and of all the top 10 players in rookie scoring, Evgeny had the second fewest average time on ice per game behind Kevin Hayes. But towards the end of the season, Kuznetsov put up a very respectable 13 points in his final 16 games. I believe there will be a bright future in the NHL for this particular Russian and hopefully Ovi will help him blossom into a superstar.