Minor signings, Mike Richards, the Dallas Stars and more …

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It is definitely the calm before the storm.

So with that in mind, I’ll pick up a couple thoughts from where Dobber left off in yesterday’s ramblings …

First, I agree with his assessment for Sam Gagner. However, now, being bought out isn’t as cemented as it first looked. If it was my call, I put him with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek and see.

So often offensive players are expected to do too much in other areas of the ice, and in this situation, Gagner would thrive. It is one way to shore up your top-nine group while leaving some offensive jam for your next two lines.

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Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and Michael Raffl, and then Matt Read, Sean Couturier and R.J. Umberger, or whoever you throw on that wing. At this stage of his career, we know what Gagner is and isn’t.

He is capable of being an offense-first player, and he isn’t capable of carrying two linemates. Philadelphia is stocked up and under the cap, and they’re not a legitimate contender. Why not see what you have in a former highly regarded player who already has 562 game on his resume by 26.