In this week’s edition of buy, sell, hold, we’ll take a closer look at the five players who registered 50 goals or more in the 2022-23 NHL season.
As of the completion of the 2022–23 season, 96 different players have scored 50 goals in an NHL season one or more times in their career, doing so a combined 205 times.
Needless to say, scoring 50 goals is no easy task in the NHL. Those who reach the elusive milestone are often considered elite goal scorers. But how does the hockey card market react when elite players are struggling to put the puck in the net? How about when players continue to score but they just aren’t receiving the hobby love? What should we do?
In this week’s edition of buy, sell, hold, we’ll take a closer look at the five players who registered 50 goals or more in the 2022-23 NHL season. It’s no secret the hockey card market loves goals. It’s what drives the market and sets the standard. While some goal scorers haven’t skipped a beat this season, others have struggled to find the back of the net. Do we, as collectors and investors, buy, sell, or hold these players' rookie cards?
Let’s dive in!
Buy: Connor McDavid (64 goals in 2022-23)
Listen, I understand not everyone has the type of cash lying around to purchase a Connor Mcdavid Young guns card, whether it be in PSA 10 condition or even raw. However, there’s a great buying opportunity here. The league’s best player is off to a somewhat troubling start. While the Oilers are struggling to compile wins, McDavid has registered just seven goals this season in 18 games.
Coming off a season in which he registered a league-best 64 goals and 153 points, it’s not the McDavid we’re used to seeing. Eleven if he’s still a point-per-game player. But after making coaching and goalie changes and with it being so early into the 2023-24 season, it’s hard to believe McDavid won’t get the scoring touch soon.
Nonetheless, McDavid’s PSA 10 Young Guns is down 45% in the last two years. The trend continues downwards as the same card is down 24% in the last year, down 21% in the last six months, down 22% in the last three months, and down 18% in the last month.
No matter how you view it, McDavid’s cards have taken a dive bigger than the infamous Bobby Orr goal. This isn’t a phrase you’ll hear or read often in the McDavid market.
The exact same thing can be said for his Young Guns in BGS 9.5 condition as it’s down 28% in the last year, down 33% in the last six months, and down 15% in the last three months. With the raw, ungraded Young Guns card having last sold for $808 according to CardLadder, now might be the ideal time to purchase McDavid. On March 11, 2023, the exact same card sold for $2,000.
If you can purchase the game’s best player’s Young Guns at a discount, do it.
Hold: David Pastrnak (61 goals in 2022-23)
Pastrnak has established himself as an elite goal scorer ever since he broke into the league. Coming off a record-breaking season with the Boston Bruins becoming the winningest team in any NHL season ever, Pastrnak has not skipped a beat in 20223-24. Only two goals behind the league leader, Pastrnak currently has 13 goals in 21 games.
The Czech doesn’t look like he will slow down any time soon either. However, there hasn’t been much movement in the overall price of Pastrnak’s Young Guns in the last two seasons. Due to the PSA 10 being a pop of only 193, this card is very rare. In the last season, the card is actually down 2.5%. But keep in mind that there have only been 15 sales in the last year, according to CardLadder. Meanwhile, the exact same card in BGS 9.5 condition is up 65% in the exact same time span.
Whether Pastrnak continues to score at an elite level or not, there just isn’t much buying and selling of Pastrnak’s Young Guns. With his PSA 10 last selling for $975 and the raw card selling for $36, I’m not so sure it matters what Pasta does on the ice. Simply put, there isn’t a lot of buying or selling when it comes to Pastrnak.
It’s true he can become one of the greatest goal-scorers the game has ever seen, but for now, holding on to the card looks to be the play.
Hold: Mikko Rantanen (55 goals in 2022-23)
Rantanen has established himself as one of the league’s best players in the last two seasons. Early on in 2023-24, he hasn’t skipped a beat, as he currently has 12 goals and is among the league's best goal scorers.
Despite the strong season in 2022-23 and the hot start this season, Rantanen’s PSA 10 Young Guns is down 25% in the last year, down 14% in the last six months, and down 31% in the last month. The same can be said about those who enjoy and even prefer BGS. The same card, which last sold for $57 in BGS 9.5 condition has been down 12.5% in the last year, 35% in the last six months, and down 28% in the last month.
Currently selling for $110 in PSA 10 condition, according to CardLadder, it’s enough evidence to suggest the hockey card market does not value Rantanen’s play. Currently, Rantanen’s Young Guns in raw condition are only selling for $20.53, according to MarketMovers, with the last sale on Nov. 27, 2023.
Needless to say, Rantanen isn’t receiving much hobby love. Despite being one of the league’s best players on one of the best teams, he’s on a downward trajectory. Even if he continues his strong play, it’s not likely the card will see a significant boost in sales prices any time soon. With that said, Rantanen is also not warranted of selling his cards.
Hold onto the goalscorer's card and wait for a playoff run, which the Avs are essentially a lock to have. The market tends to heat up during this time and if you so choose, that might be the perfect time to sell.
But for now, holding is the suggested play.
Buy: Leon Draisaitl (52 goals in 2022-23)
Despite being one of the league’s top players year after year, Leon Draisaitl’s Young Guns in PSA 10 condition has taken a significant hit in the last two years. According to Cardladder, it’s down 57% in that timespan and down 23% in the last year. This is the same player who’s in the top 19 for NHL scoring with 28 points in 20 games this season.
Taking a quick glance at his graph, one could probably ski on the downward slope it shows. Currently, the PSA 10 Young guns are selling for $665, significantly cheaper than Pastrnak.
Despite the negative fall in Draisaitl’s card market, it’s no secret this card has the potential to soar in price once again. According to CardLadder, on May 15, 2023, the same card sold for $1,254. As both Draisaitl and teammate Connor McDavid start to find their scoring ways, the card could quickly see rises if and when the Oilers make a playoff run.
For the time being, with the cards essentially being marked down more than a Walmart blaster box ever will be, this screams buy to me. Consistently one of the league's best players, playing with McDavid, and still being amongst the top teams according to Vegas to be favored to win the Stanley Cup, it’s almost a no-brainer for those who can afford the card.
For those looking to get in at a cheaper pricing option, the same card, in raw, ungraded condition (which comes with more risk as the condition of the card is unknown), the last sale was $320 on Nov. 20, 2023.
It’s not every day that collectors and investors can purchase an elite goal scorer's card. Today, it just happens to be on a discount. If it’s in the budget, now is the time to buy.
Buy: Brayden Point (51 goals in 2022-23)
Brayden Point is an interesting player in terms of the hockey card market. When he has playoff success, we’ve seen his cards take significant jumps in prices with large quantities of sales.
But even during the regular season, he’s finding ways to rack up Point(s) – pun intended. Currently in the top 10 for scoring with 29 points in 22 games, one would typically expect his Young Guns card to see a significant boost in sale prices.
Despite establishing himself as a reliable player and even notching the 50-goal milestone just a season ago, Point’s PSA 10 has been down 40.5% in the last two years, down 28% in the last year, and down 50% in the last month. The same thing can be said about Point’s card in BGS 9.5 condition as it’s down 72% in the last two years and down 13% in the last year. At his all-time high, Point’s PSA 10 sold for $375. As it stands, according to CardLadder, the same card is selling for $92 today. And there’s definitely room for growth as on Oct. 29, 2023, the exact same card sold for $184.49.
With Point still finding the back of the net, this is a great opportunity to buy low and sell high. Point has 11 goals in the young season and is surrounded by amazing players who can keep him scoring.
With another playoff run sure to come, Point can be acquired now and sold at a later date for a nice little gain in profit.