Is the rejuvenated winger worth adding to your roster?

Unless you are dealing with a naive Leafs fan or an attached Canucks fan, the increasing addition of Mason Raymond to fantasy rosters has been quiet and under the radar. His start has been impressive but most of us know it is going to be short lived. So what is the point of writing about Raymond and his relevance this year?

Well it turns out, he has some believers. Before the season started, Raymond showed up on less than 5% of fantasy rosters. Cue the ripple effect from six points in six games and now 22% of poolies have jumped on the bandwagon in Yahoo leagues and 40% have climbed aboard in CBS leagues.

We are dealing with a small sample size, but here are Mason Raymond's statistics this season courtesy of Frozen Pool, which outline his early season rise:

2013-2014 Regular Season

Clicking with his new team, Raymond is contributing at a point per game pace. He is receiving a decent amount of power play time and overall ice time. Raymond has also contributed a couple of game winning goals. A great start for a player that was in desperate need of a change of scenery.

Raymond is clearly taking advantage of his role bouncing between the second and third lines – while the Leafs wait out the 10 games suspension to newly signed winger David Clarkson. 

Any Line – Anytime

Raymond has fit in with every line combination in his first six games. Most impressive is the fact that he and his temporary line-mates Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul sit seventh overall in the NHL in overall line production this season. 

Here is breakdown of the hottest NHL line combinations this season courtesy of the Forward Report which can be accessed via Frozen Pool.

Raymond has had great chemistry this year with Lupul and Kadri. Add in the success of the Leafs first line of Tyler Bozak-Phil Kessel-James Van Riemsdyk who sit first overall in NHL line production this season, and the team has a lethal one-two punch. The success of the first line has opened up the offence and opportunities for the second line, also contributing to Raymond's nice start to 2013-2014.

Raymond has proven during this short audition that he can jump into the team's top six when needed. We should expect him to get another opportunity if there is an injury to any of the team's top wingers (cough, Lupul, cough). Below is breakdown of Raymond's most frequent line combinations this season. Raymond has half of his points with Lupul and Kadri despite playing with them less frequently than other line combinations.

Raymond has also had success playing with third line center Dave Bolland and half of Raymond's points have come from playing on Bolland's line. He has been alongside Bolland for approximately fifty percnt of his shifts and the two have shown great chemistry on the Leaf's checking line – even picking up some points along the way.

Cost Effective Option

This season, Raymond is a nice addition in salary cap leagues. If you need a cheap left-winger to help your team, he could be a great pick-up this year. Raymond is currently on a one-year contract that pays him 1m/year. 

Using the Report Generator on Frozen Pool, Raymond currently sits fourth overall in the league in terms of total points to cap hit.

Final Forensic Notes

Clearly the above is a short sample size and Raymond's value will plunge once Clarkson returns to the line-up after serving his suspension. Even if he stayed in the top six, his current pace is not realistic. On the chance that the opportunity arises again and he gets extended time in an offensive role due to an injury in the top six, Raymond could be a great short term addition for poolies in need of a left-winger.

Raymond's best offensive year was in 2009-2010 when he had 25 goals and 53 points in 82 games. Prior to coming to Toronto, Raymond played 101 regular season games during his last two seasons in Vancouver and had 42 points over that span.

Historically Raymond has had below average peripheral statistics. He does not have a lot of value in leagues that value PIMs and Hits.

As mentioned previously, Raymond is on a bargain contract this year and will be unrestricted this summer. If he continues his impressive play, expect Nonis to sign him to a longer term contract with a slightly higher cap hit. Something to the effect of a three year contract with a cap hit of 2m/year seems reasonable.

Expect Raymond to finish the season with 75 games played, 17 goals, 25 assists, 42 points, 20 hits, 20 PIM, and a decent plus/minus rating of plus-5 playing with Bolland.

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Previously in Frozen Pool Forensics:

A Devilish Situation

Should Sean Monahan Remain in the NHL?