Mason Raymond of the Vancouver Canucks has the puck knocked away from behind by Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings during the first period at the Staples Center on April 1, 2010 in Los Angeles.Harry How
It's a good price, and a great term, for the Canucks.
Mason Raymond settled for something much closer to the Canucks proposal - somewhere between $2-2.5 million (all currencies U.S.) -- than his own ($3.6-million) before appearing before an arbitrator on Monday. He signed for $2.55-million per season.
The real coup here is the term: two years. That protects the Canucks against another breakout season for the speedy winger, who could top 30 goals in his fourth campaign.
If so, the Canucks would have been right back to this point next summer, trying to fit an up-and-coming player with bargaining leverage onto the payroll. Instead, they're secure in knowing that Raymond will be around for the next two seasons at a reasonable cost.
Cap wise, there is still much work to be done to get under $59.4-million from $63-million, but the Raymond deal eliminates an arbitration award of more than $3-million, which could have been a huge problem for the Canucks.