The Philadelphia Flyers have made some news today. Flyers management has completed the Scott Laughton trade. The veteran centre is headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The return on this deal is a first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin. Philadelphia is also retaining half of the $3 million cap hit on Laughton, which news came via Chris Johnston. Toronto also gets fourth-round and sixth-round picks. The news of the trade return came via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
According to TSN/TheAthletic insider Pierre Lebrun, the first round pick is in the 2027 NHL Draft and is top-10 protected.
This move is a major addition for a team desperate for help down the middle.
The Leafs have acquired Scott Laughton from the Flyers, per multiple reports pic.twitter.com/Dx2p2ZDmVo
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 7, 2025
Flyers Trade Scott Laughton
The Flyers have been selling players at this trade deadline. And that has continued with centre Scott Laughton. The veteran has has been a Flyer for his entire career. Drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Laughton’s first NHL appearance came in 2012-13 when he played in five games.
Laughton has developed into a pretty decent bottom-six centre for the Flyers who can chip in offensively. His best offensive season came in 2022-23 when he scored 18 goals and 25 assists. So far in 62 games this season, he has 10 goals and 22 assists. With 117 hits this season he is not afraid to play a physical game. Wearing the A for the Flyers, losing Laughton will certainly be bittersweet for Philly fans.
What This Means
Laughton is not a UFA after this season and has another year left on his deal after this one. Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere decided to pull the trigger and continue the rebuild. Philadelphia is nowhere near the postseason and this sets them up to continue looking at the future.
Meanwhile, the Leafs are getting a solid bottom-six centre. Laughton will play a decently physical game while being able to chip in on the scoresheet as well. Strength down the middle is always important for any team. This is especially true in the playoffs where teams are trying to dictate the play and the flow of the game. Having depth in general is very important but having centre depth can be vital. While Laughton isn’t going to jump off the page, he provides that depth. Meanwhile, he will be around for another few years to provide some stability.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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