Throughout the summer, former All-Star forward Simon Gagne has very quietly sat on the unrestricted free agent market. The reason has NOT been a lack of interest from NHL teams, provided that Gagne's contract is adjusted downward to reflect that he's becoming more of a role player than a top six forward.

Instead, it it because Gagne has expressed a strong preference to remain with the Flyers. Philly wants to keep him, too, but needs to clear out cap space first. That's why there has been a holding pattern.

Gagne apparently has had exploratory talks with some other teams as a Plan B - with a return to LA being one possibility - but these are fallback options. Assuming he stays healthy (always a concern with Simon) he will have a job somewhere in the NHL on opening night.

The most likely scenario is that a one-year deal with Philly gets worked out shortly before the start of the season. Gagne may even attend camp as an unsigned player to demonstrate that commitment. However, nothing is set in stone and things can always change.

More to come...

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