Are 40 E-175's going to materially change Envoy or cleanse it of its real problems ? Who REALLY benefits from this relative handful of jets coming to Envoy anyway ?

Certainly not the pilots. 200 senior captains will have new shiny (for a little while anyway) jets to fly that are larger but pay no more. In fact, considering PBS (which will be an almost certain requirement to get these), pay will actually go down. 200 F/O's will taste them too, but they are looking for the exits regardless of these planes and will along with ALL Envoy pilots still tolerate daily abuse, poor staffing and lousy QOL with scheduling flying their CRJ's or EMB's.

Go talk to a Republic pilot living the "high life" in an E-175. The glamour wears off in months (or less) and you're still stuck in the gutter of regional treatment. Most Envoy pilots wont even see these jets and will get capped for getting nothing and liking it, just like Spaulding.

Honestly, I don't know what the excitement is about.