To me Mason Raymond is going to be a player who plays a prominent role at the beginning of his contract and then gradually becomes more of a utility player near the end.
This season he'll get top 6 minutes, especially if Gaudreau and Baertschi start the season in the minors as some expect them to.
In a couple of years, if/when Bennett, Gaudreau, Klimchuk and Baertschi break into the lineup, I think Raymond will be playing in the utility forward role that Galiardi/Byron occupied this past season. Having a speedster like him on the PK and tagging into the top-6 when needed is an upgrade on who is there now. It'll be him, and not the top prospects, that makes Byron expendable in the near future.
Good signing: a seasoned vet with a bit of playoff experience and local roots. Salary seems a bit high to me, but the term isn't crippling.
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