After having served his suspension, Rypien struggled to remain in the Canucks' line-up and was made a regular healthy scratch. In late-November 2010, the Canucks allowed him another personal leave of absence. At this time, it began to be widely speculated in the media that Rypien was suffering from mental health issues. While the Canucks organization withheld any details regarding Rypien's situation, general manager Mike Gillis stated publicly that "when you come to know somebody and realize they're a really good person…You don't only support them when they're at the top of their game…you support them when they're not feeling good about things or have other issues they have to deal with." On March 8, 2011, Rypien returned from his leave and was assigned to the Moose. The NHL waived the two-week limit allowed for a conditioning stint, allowing the Canucks to leave him with the Moose for the remainder of the season and avoid his salary cap hit. Rypien completed his final season as a Canuck with one assist over nine games, while also recording two assists in 11 AHL games. He also helped the Moose to the second round of the playoffs, recording one goal in seven post-season games.