Auston Matthews is back and the signs of his return were evident after his skate with teammates on Long Island. Hockey card collectors and Toronto Maple Leafs fans were left scratching their heads on Saturday after X user Nick Richard [https://x.com/_NickRichard/status/1875939946638483674]shared a baffling Upper Deck trading card error to his account. The card in question, an unintentionally rare edition, features a photo of Leafs forward Bobby McMann but is labeled with the name and position of defenseman Morgan Rielly. “Ummm… that’s not Morgan Rielly,” Richard captioned the post, referencing the fact that the card correctly identifies the player as a Maple Leaf – but not the right one. This likely isn’t the first time trading card companies, including Upper Deck, have faced production errors – it happens. But the mix-up, while amusing, poses the question of how such a mistake could occur in a high-profile trading card series. Now, you’d think that this would happen on a one-and-a-million chance, right? Apparently not. In the comments under the post, X user Brandon Vander Wey [https://x.com/BVanderwey10/status/1875956017978278144] also shared that he had the exact same card with the same error. “I got the exact same card,” he wrote. Despite the apparent blunder, the error could potentially make these cards more valuable to collectors. Misprints and production errors often garner a unique appeal in the trading card industry, where rarity is held in high regard. “It will be (Morgan Rielly) when he transforms into an elite winger,” one commenter joked, imagining the defenseman’s inadvertent switch into a forward. As for the players themselves, McMann has been having a strong 2024-25 campaign. He is three shy of tying a career-high in goals with 12 while racking up 17 points. The 28-year-old has three goals in his last four games while playing an instrumental role on the third line this season. Rielly, the longest-tenured Maple Leaf, has registered four goals and 14 assists for an 18-point total through 40 games. He’s only one of a handful of Leafs who have played in every game in the 2024-25 campaign. While Upper Deck has yet to comment, it looks as if the mix-up was a broader quality issue instead of an isolated incident, considering there is more than one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, break news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
