Signature Sundays - Carl Soderberg

It's been a little depressing watching the Bruins the past few weeks.  If the season were to end today, they'd be out of the playoff picture.  Although he's struggled during stretches like the rest of the team, one of the bright spots on this year's roster has been Carl Soderberg.  I've been after an autograph of his for some time now, and recently I was fortunate enough to land one that I've had my eye on in particular:

I'm a huge fan of the layout of the 2013-14 Select rookie autographs.  Carl's John Hancock isn't that interesting, but I really love the design of this card.  Small detail, but the fact that the swatch matches the jersey being worn by the player in the photo is nice, something you don't always get for some reason.  The scan is a little dark, the card is much more vibrant in person under natural light.

There are a few different parallels of these auto/rookie/jersey cards, with this one serial-numbered to /199.  I didn't really have a preference for one over another, and ended up with this one simply because the eBay seller agreed to my $9 Buy-It-Now offer. 

If he stays healthy, Soderberg should have his best season yet in 2014-15.  He's definitely starting to heat up again in recent days.  Two games ago against Minnesota, Carl had a goal in regulation and then setup the game-winner in overtime.  Last game, an assist; and tonight another helper on the opening goal of the game against lowly Buffalo.

Right now I'm not sure the Bruins roster has the make-up of a potential Cup winning team, but I hope that if they make a deal Soderberg does not end up shipped out of town.  At just 29 years old, and with less than 2 seasons total NHL experience under his belt, I can't help but feel like his best days are still ahead...