On Thursday night, Scott Laughton made Philadelphia Flyers history. He became just the 17th player in team history, the first since John LeClair in 2002, to score four goals in a game. The team's assistant captain put on a show and put the team on his back as they won their second in a row and their sixth game in their last ten games.
This is amazing because Laughton has never been a prolific scorer. Despite being a first-round pick in 2012, his value has never been from scoring. He's scored over 15 goals just once in his career (2022-23) and just recently topped 250 career points. Counting his four from the other night, he has seven goals on the season.
Laughton's value has always come in the little things he does. He is a better defensive-minded forward as well as someone who chases the puck in the corners, battles for possession, and doesn't turn the puck over. He is also a leader in the locker room and very popular with his teammates. It's probably a big reason why, despite numerous offers over the years, the Flyers haven't dealt him away.
Who's Next?
If Laughton can put this team on his shoulders and put on a clinic like that, who else can do it? Travis Konecny has done that all year. He already has 15 goals in 30 games with 21 assists. At this pace, he'll be close to 40 goals by the end of the year and could crack 90 points. Matvei Michkov leads all NHL rookies with 11 goals, 16 assists, and 26 points. However, they can't do it alone. Someone else needs to step up.
It would be great if Owen Tippett could get going again. He's got nine goals, not far off his pace of 28 from last year. He has been finding the back of the net recently. Still, he could be doing more. Tyson Foerster and Joel Farabee, with six and four goals respectively, have been missing from the stat sheets for most of this season. Likewise, Morgan Frost and Bobby Brink have just four goals apiece.
With the goalies playing better since Sam Ersson has been back, the one thing holding this team back has been the lack of scoring. Currently, the Flyers are in fourth place in the Metro Division and are eighth in the playoff standings, just a point above the crumbling Rangers.
Laughton threw down the gauntlet and lit up the lamp on Thursday. The others need to follow. Who will be the next one to start finding the back of the net? Once they do, this team can be who we all thought they should be.