The Canucks have avoided arbitration with Mason Raymond by signing him to a two-year, $5.1 million deal.

The 24-year-old forward, picked 51st overall in the second round of the 2005 draft by Vancouver, had a career high 53 points (25 goals) last season, when he earned $760,000. He was on his way to an arbitration hearing in Toronto on Monday when the contract was settled.

The Canucks Booster Club awarded Raymond the 2010 Fred J. Hume Award as the team’s unsung hero. The 6-foot, 185-pound forward also played in three games and recorded one assist for Team Canada at the 2010 World Hockey Championships.

The Canucks are more than $2.6 million over the NHL’s $59.4 million salary cap with Raymond’s deal.