Nobody at all here has ever argued that swapping out the 12th or 6th man will fix the whole team.
The argument, as had been explained to.yoj repeatedly over the years, is that when you have one of the worst in the league at those slots, then you can improve the team by improving those spots. And that's true. Everything matters. Upgrading to "replacement level" from "trash heap" for anywhere between 8-15 minutes a night makes the team better than it had been.
Nobody has ever argued it fixes everything as some universal solution. That's a strawman you insist on for no reason.
Really? That's why every year some here limit desired offseason moves to replace Hagg and (forward of your choice on the 4th line), and some other disliked scrub - but don't touch overpaid favorites. And suggest unproved prospects are guaranteed improvements.
Upgrading scrubs isn't as simple as snapping your fingers, Flyers have cycled through Leier, Luby, Pitlick, NAK, Vorobyev, Bunnaman, Twarynski, Kase. PEB has pretty much outplayed all of them, but we had to lose someone in the first ED.
Other than Kase, they all played more minutes than whipping boys Andreoff and Stewart. Some of these players are out of the NHL while Thompson is in the playoffs.
Pitlick is gone b/c he was too expensive for that 12th forward role.
NAK is still here for now, but better raise his game next season.
Flyers now have the depth to improve that 4th line, but Cates is still an unknown, Laczynski has to stay healthy.
Rubtsov, Sushko, Sandin, Twarynski, Kase have played themselves out of contention for now.
Willman, Ratcliffe, Lycksell, Bunnaman are ???
Wisdom, Desnoyers might be a year or two away.
Foerster, Brink are top 9 or bust.
On defense York is a lock for a 3rd line role, Zamula more of a question.
Which is why Hagg and Braun will probably return, low cost veteran depth when you usually end up playing 8 or so D-men over the course of a season. Wylie? Hogberg? Will they be ready next season? Millman, what's his ETA? Attard, St Ivany, will they sign next spring? Andrae? Ginning?