[opcfan]

Now that we're gonna have an NHL season, what should Upper Deck & Panini do in their remaining products to get people interested again?

I think they should:

1. Lower prices of their products, (no brainer here)
2. More autographs & patches in the packs
3. More "quality" autographs. Not every rookie needs an autographed card & there are also plenty of 2nd & 3rd year star players that could have more signatures out in the market, (Seguin, Hall, Eberle, etc.) Likewise, there are a lot of 2nd & 3rd year players that don't need any more autographed cards as the demand is just not there.
4. More promotions such as ticket giveaways to their local teams randomly inserted in packs.

Any other suggestions?

Why? It's not Upper Deck or Panini's fault the lockout happened. Why should they have to pay for it? They can't help it if interest wanes due to there being no hockey, all they can do is print cards and that's what they've been doing all along. Unlike the NHL, they've done nothing grievously upsetting to make up for. It's not exactly their job to bolster interest in the sport.

1. If what I've been hearing is true Upper Deck has been on shaky financial ground for some time and probably can't afford to lower prices.

2. As much as I love pulling a patch I wouldn't clamour for more. Jersey cards used to be a huge hit in the 90s. Now they're a dime a dozen. Collector's need something illusive to chase.

3. Nobody likes pulling an auto and saying "Who's that?" but even 3rd rate players have fans. They deserve autos too but I agree they're overdone.

4. That's a pretty cool idea.

If you ask me, the card companies should get some photos of the new rookie crop double quick, get right on printing the cards and ship out the redemptions ASAP. Getting redemptions in a timely manner has always been a hassle. It would be a nice touch if they expedite the process this year.