It’s official: when it comes to arbitration, Mason Raymond and Mike Gillis are just big teases.
For the second straight time, the two camps have settled out of court, with Raymond agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.275 million. It’s a 12.5% paycut from last season, which is good news for fans for two reasons: first, because the Canucks now have a smidgen more cap space, and second, because the flexibility has to have returned to Raymond’s spine for him to bend that far backwards.
“At the end of the day, no one should feel sorry for me,” Raymond told the Vancouver Sun’s Elliott Pap, hilariously. Trust me, MayRay, you definitely don’t have to tell Canucks fans not to feel sorry for you.
If the annual Canuck team awards featured a category for the player that takes the most unfair crap from fans, Raymond would be Roberto Luongo’s only competition. He does a lot of little things well, but the big thing — scoring goals — has severely dropped off since he signed his last deal, and when your best contributions take a super-collider to observe, people tend to get upset. This in mind, it’s no surprise that news of his signing has been met with a backlash. But, if it’s possible to put aside your immense hatred for the soft-spoken, tippy, baby-faced Albertan, you’ll see that this is a pretty sizable win for Gillis and Gilman. They made a risky attempt to trim Raymond’s salary, and they were met with almost no resistance.
With the Canucks’ announcement that they’d be taking Raymond to arbitration (known in Westeros as trial by battle), I expected a little pushback. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I find it troubling when my employer tells me I’m not worth the money I’m making. But by settling for such a substantial paycut well before the arbitration date, Raymond’s negotiations appear to have played out more like a woman telling her husband, “I’m leaving you, and I’m taking the cats,” and the husband responding, “Well, I don’t want to be alone, so could you leave a cat behind?”
Rather than push back, Raymond has facilitated a breakup by accepting a very movable deal. As part of a trade package, he could be very valuable, both because his bounceback is a distinct possibility and because, if it doesn’t happen, the team isn’t on the hook for more than one year.
And even if he stays, by agreeing to the single year contract, Raymond has both the opportunity and the motivation to make the Canucks pay next summer. Along with his contract, the restrictions on his free agency expire next next season, so if he manages that bounceback year in Vancouver, he’ll be in line to make a pretty penny on the inflated open market.
Plus, you know he’ll get every opportunity to have that bounceback year since Alain Vigneault treats his top six like a technologically inept cell phone user treats his top five. (They’re set, I don’t know how to change them, so leave me alone.) Frankly, I don’t know if another coach can appreciate and use Raymond as much as Vigneault does. It’s a great situation in which to play a contract year.
In the end, while the deal makes Raymond seem like a bit of a pushover, the deal puts him in a position to have the last laugh. And really, he is pretty easy to push over
You might also like:
16 comments
Search
Recent Comments
- NarkusMaslund
on Amazing Fan Comment: Chris the Curmudgeon closes the curtain - BakerGeorgeT
on I Watched This Playoff Game: Canucks at San Jose Sharks, May 7, 2013 - Chris the Curmudgeon
on Will Alain Vigneault lose his job if the Canucks lose again? (Yeah, probably) - Cody
on I Watched This Playoff Game: Canucks at San Jose Sharks, May 7, 2013 - Nick
on I Watched This Playoff Game: Canucks at San Jose Sharks, May 7, 2013
About canada.com | Privacy Statement | Terms | Copyright & Permissions
© 2008 - 2011 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
Wisp
July 9, 2012Mike Gillis never gives up on a player.
Tamara B
July 11, 2012*except Luongo.
SteveB
July 9, 2012I jumped up in celebration and promptly fell down.
PShafer
July 9, 2012You said Raymond has “motivation to make the Canucks pay,” and is “in position to have the last laugh,” and no “Mason Raymond is evil” tag? How did that happen?
Harrison Mooney
July 9, 2012Aw crap, I forgot. That was part of the joke! *rushes to edit*
sarah
July 9, 2012Congratulations Mason – signed, one of your only fans
Matt
July 9, 2012I’ve always loved Mason and am glad to see him return. Hopefully with his health back he can put up 20 goals, 50 points, and strong underlying numbers and gets a nice pay raise next year.
Locky
July 10, 2012Although I agree, i’m not sure I expect that from him. With the time that the 2nd PP unit gets, and a likelihood that he may see time on the 3rd and 4th lines, Perhaps 15/40 might be a better estimate. You’d be hard pressed to convince me that 2.2 is not value for those kind of numbers.
bea
July 9, 2012You couldn’t find a picture of Mason standing up? Oh well, I’m glad he’s still here. I hope he has a break out year. Can’t wait for the season to start.
Eric Blacha
July 9, 2012He can come back better.
“but I find it troubling when my employer tells me I’m not worth I’m making” Sounds like ‘is missing a word, which is what. What I’m making.
Fruzenius
July 9, 2012I like MayRay, he has had a bad run and like every player who doesn’t perform how Vancouver perceives they should, crazy Van fans have treated him badly. Hopefully he has some better luck this year, not having to have a broken back instead of training.
Nee
July 9, 2012“Alain Vigneault treats his top six like a technologically inept cell phone user treats his top five. (They’re set, I don’t know how to change them, so leave me alone.) ”
You guys sure do have a way with words. That bit made me laugh out loud.
And yay for Raymond. He’s a loyal and nice guy…I like to see that type of person have success.
Nick
July 9, 2012When Raymond first returned from his back injury, a lot of people were surprised by him not seeming to have much rust on him at all.
In fact, there was a stretch of about 3 weeks in late fall when the goals were going in, he wasn’t falling down, and he was arguably among their best forwards.
Last summer, while the rest of the league was training for peak performance, he could barely walk … and I have a feeling that this season he won’t be as fatigued by mid-season and will do quite a bit better than casual fans are predicting.
Regina
July 9, 2012Game of Thrones reference? You’ve won me over.
Harsh
July 10, 2012Can’t believe a guy would pay an agent to save him a mere 65K off his worse case scenario. Assuming the agent gets 10% , that is 227K to the agent. He should have gone to arbitration with no agent and he would have been better off.
brian
July 12, 2012more easily broadcasted spin-o-ramas.