Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco dropped some interesting news regarding Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton ahead of the team’s final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off.
With the trade deadline less than a month away, the Flyers are apparently deep in trade talks with several teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets, for Laughton’s services.
With the Flyers ushered into a rebuild, many were wondering if and when they would finally move off from the veteran forward and while many had lost hope, it does sound like general manager Daniel Brière is actually looking to make it work this season.
The Morgan Frost–Joel Farabee trade with Calgary showed us 2 things: 1) The Flyers were willing to move locker-room favourites and teammates that were very well-liked, which was always a defence for keeping Laughton, and 2) Trading two younger pieces that fit the core shows us that the veterans aren’t as safe as they were last year or even entering this season.
Laughton is the second-longest active tenured Flyer behind only Sean Couturier with parts of 12 seasons under his belt after being drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Injuries played their part in the early stages of his career but the veteran has 654 games under his belt, with 105 goals and 263 points, 386 PIM, 1,251 hits, and 363 blocked shots with the Orange and Black.
Laughton had been a staple in trade talks for well over half a decade even after he signed his team-friendly long-term extension. He still has one year remaining at a cap hit of just $3 million but Brière’s asking price remains high with a first round pick.
Whenever Brière took over for Chuck Fletcher, trade talks intensified heading into the draft and it was reported teams were offering a late first rounder, to which he wasn’t interested. Laughton was always seen for more than what he did on the ice as they believed his off-ice intangibles were just as important.
The verbiage around the veteran was always positive, glowing, and complimentary from the front office, coaching staff, and players themselves. However it became a true conundrum whenever the trade deadline came and went. With the Flyers trying to form an under-25 core, where did Laughton fit into the equation?
Laughton’s trade value skyrocketed over last two seasons especially after a career-high 18 goals and 43 points in 2022-23 and another strong showing in 2023-24 that was encapsulated by his 8 shorthanded points. He also provided 119 PIM, 311 hits, 113 blocked shots, and a 48.6% success rate in the faceoff circle over that stretch under John Tortorella.
This season hasn’t been too kind on Laughton as he looks to be missing a step or two on a more consistent basis. Outside of an 11-game stretch in the middle of the season where he collected 12 points, he’s only put up 4 goals and 14 points in the other 42 games, which includes an ongoing 13-game drought with just 1 goal to his name.
The Maple Leafs have been in hot pursuit of Laughton’s services for as long as we can remember so it shouldn’t be surprising that they’re one of the teams most aggressively in trade talks with the Flyers. The Oakville native will be right at home in Toronto and would shore up a major weakness down the middle for the club while also giving them some much-needed snarl and grit.
The Jets are an interesting team to have joined in on the pursuit but considering how well they’ve played this season, adding a veteran like Laughton to their bottom-6 would only be a boon come playoff time. Currently the NHL-leading Jets have Rasmus Kupari and David Gustafsson down the middle on their third and fourth lines – something Laughton could help with.
As for the Flyers, they’ve been free-falling in the standings of late with five consecutive defeats. While they received two NHL players in return for Farabee and Frost, neither of them address their major weakness down the middle, however Brière mentioned that it’s all about alleviating cap space for the future to target their future 1C.
Trading Laughton would be the biggest fire signal towards their rebuilding efforts based on how they’ve protected him from trades in recent years. His departure would finally give most Flyers fans the belief that they’re also serious about collecting future assets for the betterment of tomorrow instead of caring about today.
Laughton has one year remaining on his deal so that would be help the Flyers in negotiations as they can recoup better assets due to his term. He’s been nothing short of fantastic as a Flyer during his time with the club, however it might finally be high-time to rip off the Band-Aid and cruise into the rebuild head-first.
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