Mason Raymond made some noise in Vancouver today by skating with the Canucks for the first time since game six of the Stanley Cup Finals. Raymond was projected to return to the roster for late November, but the news that he’s already skating with the team – in contact drills, no less – has the armchair Mike Gillises (Gillis’s? Gillii?) worked into a frenzy.

Or as far as any creature on CDC can tell, just another day.

While Raymond’s progress has come as surprising, don’t expect the capricious Canuck to suit up in his regular top-six role any time soon. Last year’s 39-point season (15G, 24A in 70GP) was wildly underwhelming after a 25-goal, 53-point effort the year prior. Couple that with his veritable invisibility in the postseason (2G, 6A in 24GP) and Mason wasn’t looking like a lock to make the second line come training camp.

Not much has changed a month in either, and it’s because of Cody Hodgson, Chris Higgins and David Booth.

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