Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Going into the 2011-2012 season, Mason Raymond was seen as a guy that could break out for the Vancouver Canucks. A small forward with incredible speed, he was thought of as quite an asset for this club.

That breakout campaign never came last season. Raymond played in only 55 games and finished with just 20 points on the season. Of course, he was coming off of an awful back injury he suffered in the playoffs the previous year. He has found a way to rebound this season though.

Raymond has appeared in every game this season. And in this shortened season, he may easily eclipse his total output from last year. Which shouldn’t prove too difficult.

In 23 games this season, Raymond has 12 points. That’s almost right on par with where the Canucks would like Raymond to be as far as his scoring rate is concerned. He’s stepped up his game lately, with three points in four contests so far in March.

Raymond’s biggest asset is that speed. He’s a nightmare matchup for opposing forwards and helps to generate scoring opportunities not only for himself, but for his linemates as well. The second line of Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins is reaping the benefits of his speed and return to form.

It remains to be seen if the Canucks will get the guy that notched 53 points a few seasons ago, which included 25 goals. If he can demonstrate that type of play for the remainder of the season that he had in 2009-2010, he should be a lock to return to Vancouver next season.