It wasn't supposed to end this way. Although, much like Claude Giroux, another longtime, fan favorite Flyer is now departed, hoping to seek the fortune of a Stanley Cup championship somewhere else. For Laughton though, this one is different.
He was drafted 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft; a draft that, if you look at it 13 years later, has been unremarkable. Laughton was a decent scorer, but didn't set the world on fire while playing for the Oshawa Generals. Something that would translate over to the NHL.
You would think that a first round pick, especially one that has been on the same team for a dozen years would have killer stats. I can assure you, he does not. In 12 years, he is nowhere near the top 20 in scoring. He has racked up only 106 goals with 159 assists. He topped 15 goals just once (18 in 2022-23). In that same year, he set a career high of 43 points in a season. So, stats wise, his career does not jump off the page.
Scott Laughton's importance showed in multiple ways
You have to look beyond the numbers to get a true value of a player like Laughton. With Giroux, it was easy. He could command a game and score whenever. With Laughton, that wasn't that case.
Instead, his value was his adaptability. He could read the situation on the ice and do whatever it was necessary at that moment. He could level a hit without being reckless or put the Flyers down a man. If he was on the penalty kill, he could gracefully send that puck flying back down the ice and away from danger. If someone was needed to just be a defensive-minded forward and get in the way of a top offensive line, he could be called into duty and perform well. He could intercept a pass, win a faceoff, or just block a shot with the best of them.
He also led by example. He was a great presence to have in the locker room but was also great to have on the ice. His teammates loved him. His work ethic endeared him to fans. Yes, there were better players during his tenure in Philadelphia, but you'd be hard pressed to find a hard worker.
He was the only guy that John Tortorella had with a letter, an "A", on his chest for two years. That means something. It meant that Laughton, even though the team didn't have a captain, was someone that the new coach realized was a team leader and gave him that responsibility.
He was also great with the fans. He was one of those players that immersed themselves with Flyers Charities as well as other community organizations in Philadelphia. Any player who does that will always endear themselves to the city.
There may be some who wonder why the return on him was so low. The Flyers won't get to see that pick for two more years. That's ok. We may still need that pick then. At the same time, thinking Daniel Briere would pick up two first rounders for him was always a pipe dream. Multiple high picks for a man who never scored 20 goals is not happening.
A first rounder and an intriguing prospect in Nikita Grebenkin isn't bad, even if it will be a while before we see how it pans out. Maybe Toronto won this one. Maybe we did. Time will tell.
For now, we'll just have to remember the fond times of seeing #21 skate around the Wells Fargo Center. It's hard to say goodbye. It was hard to see Jason Kelce retire, hard to see Rhys Hoskins leave, and it is getting hard to realize Joel Embiid may never play again. Likewise, it will be hard to see Laughton in anything else but orange and black. But much like Giroux, we are happy we have had that opportunity in the first place.
Laughton is going home to Toronto. Make us proud Scott!