Every season I look forward to the trade deadline and this year was no different. However, after it was all said and done, I was a little disappointed by the number of trades and the calibre of trades. In all fairness, I am sure the players themselves are relieved to some degree as many probably don't want to pack up and leave their families part way through the year.
Trade deadline certainly does have its advantages for players too. It offers players a chance to have a fresh start with a different organization which can be beneficial for players who were stuck deep in the depth chart or forced into a role or position that isn't their natural spot.
One player this year who has really benefited from the change of scenery is Jamie McGinn.
Jamie went from playing around 10-12 min a night in San Jose to playing 16-18 minutes a night with the Avs. This increased ice-time and chemistry with his new team has turned into 7 goals and 9 points in just 9 games. Of those 9 goals, two are game winners and one was a game tying goal with 2 seconds left again the Sabres which would end up becoming a shootout win for the Avs.
It will be neat to see if he can keep this pace up for the rest of the season!
08-09 Artifacts #276 Jamie McGinn Rookie
Of all the Artifacts rookies ever made, I think I like this year the most. Cool design to them and I like how they they mix the colour and sepia together.
Back side
The backs are pretty simple with a decent sized write up on the player along with their vitals. No real stats are listed but then again they are rookies and I guess to some degree their Junior/Minor league stats are sort of irrelevant. I was luck enough to pull a few of the rookies from 08/09, this one arrived as a redemption card. According to the Beckett, these cards should be numbered to /750, but as you can see mine is /999.
How I received the card: Redemption card pulled from a pack
Beckett Value: $3.00 - 8.00
I am a huge fan of this guy. He was awesome both times he played for Canada at the WJHC and he will be a very steady and solid NHL defenseman. I believe that Alzner could have Rod Langway potential....
Another World Junior kid I fell in love with. He plays a great grinding and agitation game. The problem is, there aren't may roster spots for players like that and he has found himself deep in the depth charts of St. Louis. I really want to see this kid get a real NHL shot, but time will tell if that happens. This is actually my second Della Rovere auto, I have his rookie from the Zenith set #/99 as well.
Sometimes when you read another person's blogs you sometimes pick up an appreciate for a player you normally wouldn't follow. Tim (aka The Real DFG) is a pretty big Bill Guerin fan like myself and when I read a while back that he was starting a PC of Eric Tangradi I decided to do a little digging. Turns out Tangradi is another power forward not unlike Bill Guerin and he plays a good physical game. So after reading that I decided to watch some auctions and sure enough I landed yet ANOTHER Certified Rookie Auto. This is the Mirror Red version of his rookie and in addition to having a nice on the card auto it is numbered to 250 and it found its way into my collection for under 4 bucks.
The backs are pretty simple with a decent sized write up on the player along with their vitals. No real stats are listed but then again they are rookies and I guess to some degree their Junior/Minor league stats are sort of irrelevant. I was luck enough to pull a few of the rookies from 08/09, this one arrived as a redemption card. According to the Beckett, these cards should be numbered to /750, but as you can see mine is /999.
Sure enough, after about 4 months I received both cards I sent, signed! The Champs auto turned out the best. I actually found a 71-72 Bobby Hull All-Star card at my LCS for a buck a few weeks back so I kinda wish I mailed that one...but I will certainly enjoy the two I did get back.
