This time, Shane O'Brien stayed out of management's doghouse.
According to various media reports, the colourful Vancouver defenceman has accepted a new one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Canucks, avoiding salary arbitration. The NHL club decided to keep the restricted free agent after he drew the ire of general manager Mike Gillis and coach Alain Vigneault during a turbulent 2009-10 season.
O'Brien, 26, exceeded his prescribed playing weight and was exiled from the dressing room for a week and scratched from four games after showing up late for practice. But he still proved reliable defensively while providing toughness to an injury-decimated blueline corps and drastically reducing his penalty minutes from the 2008-09 season.
That season, his first with the Canucks after arriving from Tampa Bay, he contended team management had ordered him to fight, but later withdrew the allegation. He now ranks as the team's sixth defenceman with eight rearguards under contract.
By not even bothering to file for arbitration, which often leads to acrimony between the team and player, he improved his chances of staying with the Canucks until he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. His deal provides salary cap leeway, pending an expected dealing involving another defenceman or two.
Winger Mason Raymond, who is in line for a big raise after a 25-goal season, and wingers Tanner Glass and Jannik Hansen have filed for arbitration but could still sign before they receive hearings to determine their salaries. The Canucks also have the option of walking away from any awarded deals if they are deemed too expensive.
The club now has 15 forwards under contract after re-signing journeyman centre Alexandre Bolduc, 25, who missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury. He will receive $500,000 in 2010-11 if he stays in the NHL.
Joe Arpaio Violated Latinos' Rights, Judge Rules
LOOK: How Bad Are Your State's Bridges?
Report: Yahoo Is Bidding On Hulu
Pacers Steal Game 2 In Miami
Abercrombie Announces Plummeting Sales Amid Controversy
Female Suicide Bomber Injures 12 In Russian Region
Fox News Host's Outrageous Comment
State Investigating Threat Over Brewer Push
Christopher Hayes: London Terror
The iPhone Might Get A Lot Sleeker Very Soon
WHOOPS! Obama Makes Big Gaffe
Pioneering Journalist Known For Civil Rights Coverage Dies At 81
GOP Senator: Obama Speech A 'Victory' For 'Terrorists'
Toronto Mayor: I Don't Smoke Crack
Ann Coulter's Wild Conspiracy Theory
Ohio School District Considers Teaching Creationism
GOP Rep Tells Woman She Should Have Carried Brain-Dead Fetus To Term, Just In Case
DOJ Confirms Holder Vetted Warrant For Rosen Emails
Wife Of Beheaded British Soldier's Heartbreaking Interview
Governor Goes To Bat For Obamacare
Gas Cylinder Explosion On Pakistan School Bus Kills 17
Gay Teen Charged With Felonies Over Relationship Refuses Plea Deal
New 'Arbitrary' AT&T Fee Upsets Customers
Sequestration Shuts Down The IRS
Student Shot At Middle School
CEO's Severance Pay Under Fire
'In Fantasy Land, We Teach Our Kids Abstinence -- And They Listen'
