By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 21, 2012
A Sedin slump that has begun to cause serious concern has led to line-shuffling by coach Alain Vigneault. For many, seeing Mason Raymond paired with the twins was about as baffling a move as could be imagined, yet it served several purposes. First, it kept the second powerhouse line of Kesler, Higgins and Booth intact. Second, it allowed Alex Burrows to inspire and collaborate with Jannik Hansen – two players with a bit of a similar spark. Yet, perhaps most importantly, it gave Mason Raymond an inspired chance to define his own fate; while he hasn’t been hurting the team too much, his production this season has left a number of fans calling for his permanent banishment.
Raymond has an almost unmatchable speed – an attribute that got the attention of most Canucks fans when he first joined the team at the start of the 2007-2008 season (when, by the way, he first played on the top line with the Sedins). While he had just nine goals and 29 points in 42 games that season, just two seasons later he wowed Vancouver with a 25 goal, 53 point performance. That production dropped significantly the following year when he managed a respectable 15 goal, 39 point season. While that was enough to draw ire from the pickiest of fans last year, things have gone from bad to worse for Raymond this season. Though he is a plus-eight, he has scored just eight goals, and managed only 16 points this year. Granted, he returned from a serious back injury and has yet to play 50 games this season.
It doesn’t help, though, that Raymond seems to have a proclivity for getting “grade A” chances – then spoiling them. When he isn’t falling down or dropping his stick, he’s fanning on a shot at an open net (the comedic/annoying guy sitting behind me at the recent Canucks-Jets game kept calling him “No-Stick Raymond”). Sure enough, in his first game with the Sedins in the recent line-matching endeavour proved the point – mishandling a breakaway pass in what would inevitably lead to a 5-4 loss against the Phoenix Coyotes.
Yet, I won’t be the first one to throw Raymond under the bus. Scoring hasn’t been the biggest problem in the Canucks recent slump – being scored on has. As evidenced from his plus-minus rating, Raymond isn’t the problem. He’s not taking penalties either. Granted, he’s going to need to find his game in a hurry if he wants to stay on the first line, but I’m also not convinced it couldn’t happen.
With the healthy cushion the Canucks have in the Northwest Division, it isn’t a bad idea to experiment with line combinations now, before the real “chess matches” begin. If Raymond can find some success on the first line, that’s an option Vigneault will be glad to have if the Sedins start to struggle in the postseason.
It’s also an important moment for Raymond. He knows that his opportunity to play—or at least the size of his paycheque—is at stake. He is currently in the last season of a two-year $5.1 million contract ($2.5 last year, $2.6 this year). He’s going to need to start proving his worth now if he wants to find a place on the roster next year. With two of the best hockey players in the world at his sides, it might be just the kind of chance a motivated player needs to succeed.
