Update: it appears that the Canucks narrowly avoided arbitration and signed forward Mason Raymond to a reasonable deal, which was settled at two-years, $5.1 million total according to Nick Kypreos.
Looking at Raymond’s numbers from last year, I probably should have made him a part of my “players who need to prove they are not one-hit wonders” list. While the Sedin twins and - by extension - Mikael Samuelsson received most of the attention for blossoming for Vancouver last season, Raymond made a huge improvement by going from 23 points in 08-09 to 53 last season. He actually scored more goals (25) in 09-10 than he scored points in 08-09 (23).
Van news. Mason Raymond.... Hearing settled. 2 years. 2.5/2.6M
He wasn’t quite as brilliant in the playoffs, though, with a similar output this postseason (four points in 12 games) compared to the ’09 summer (three points in 10 games).
That being said, I’d still rather spend a slightly larger amount on a 24-year-old with as much upside as Raymond rather than a disappointment like MacArthur or someone of his ilk. It seems like a good deal for Vancouver while Raymond will get the chance to make more money on his next contract.
Coming up next, I’ll list the remaining salary arbitration hearings.