3 contenders who must call the Flyers for Scott Laughton at the trade deadline
While the Philadelphia Flyers may ultimately forgo selling at the trade deadline, Scott Laughton is one player they could move if they do sell.
The Philadelphia Flyers can be big buyers at the trade deadline, and since many of their players won’t become free agents until next summer, buying on or before March 8th makes sense. They are also still a top-three team in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division, and few expected so much success from this group as we now sit just under two months from the beginning of the postseason.
Ironically, having players slated to become free agents in 2025 also means it makes sense to sell at the trade deadline. Rebuilding was the initial plan here, and selling off assets that would help contenders in 2024 gear up for a second run in 2025 also means players like Scott Laughton’s value (free agent after 2025-26) sits a little higher.
Let’s assume for the purpose of this article that general manager Daniel Briere sells and Laughton draws interest from around the league. Several teams looking for depth along the lower lines would be interested in acquiring him, especially if a forward like Laughton can help them defensively.
Scott Laughton would provide excellent depth for a contender
Should the Flyers sell, look for contenders struggling when they don’t have possession of the puck to inquire about Laughton. While the center showed us last season he can pitch in with scoring and value in the offensive zone, defense, and puck movement in a bottom-six role is where Laughton provides value.
Let’s not expect a blockbuster for Laughton, since he’s nowhere near a high-end player in this league. But if the Flyers traded him to a team either starving to win a Stanley Cup or looking to make perhaps their final run in a while, then they could get a genuine return for him.
Which teams could be front-runners to acquire Laughton at the trade deadline and what would make Laughton a good fit to join them for what will be an intense playoff race?
The Toronto Maple Leafs would benefit from a defensive-minded forward
Talk about organizations hungry to win the Stanley Cup; Toronto hasn’t won it since the Original Six Era. Since this team routinely finds itself in contention these days, they will pull off a desperation move if it means a deep playoff run, something they have yet to enjoy despite their success in the Auston Matthews Era.
And unless this team does something other than winning games by scoring nearly four goals per contest, it will be another early or, at best, Second Round exit in the postseason.
Currently, the Maple Leafs are 16th in goals allowed with 173, and one reason is because this team is allowing 29.6 shots on goal per game. Ideally, you would like to see that number get down to around 28 per contest given how sketchy the goaltending has been throughout the first two-thirds of the regular season.
Laughton’s ability to be yet another physical presence on the lower lines and provide more value than someone like Ryan Reaves or David Kampf has given this season could help the Leafs immensely as the playoff race intensifies. He’s also a more complete player than the aforementioned names, giving Toronto more than just an option to help in the defensive zone.
Their penalty kill is also one of the worst among playoff contenders, and it’s another area Laughton will help improve.
The Dallas Stars can use another defensive-minded asset before the deadline
The Dallas Stars continue to control the Central Division, but like the Maple Leafs, it’s not happening because they are a good defensive team. With 212 goals, the Stars are second in the league in scoring, but 17th in goals allowed with 174.
While Dallas has a better goaltending duo than what the Maple Leafs possess, Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood are still struggling on the eve of what will become a crucial time of the year. Also, like Toronto, Oettinger and Wedgewood are facing close to 29.6 shots on goal per game, and the former is dealing with the majority number.
Dallas isn’t a physical team, so Laughton’s presence would change that. The Stars also haven’t applied as much pressure as they otherwise could have, so that’s another area where Laughton will help. If he can help cut down the number of shots on goal at Oettinger and Wedgewood, he will flip some of those close contests into wins for the Stars.
Overall, Dallas scores enough as it is, so they can’t go wrong acquiring someone like Laughton and letting him play a simple game. It’s clear Laughton has helped the Flyers achieve better than expected results, so the opportunities are limitless for a talented group like the Stars.
The Tampa Bay Lightning can score but they can’t defend
A recurring theme with this article is that all the teams mentioned share one common denominator: They can score a lot of goals, but they are all having trouble in the defensive zone. The Lightning are no exception, as they rank 27th in the league in goals allowed, and they desperately need to change that by March 8th.
Someone like Sean Walker would be a huge help for Tampa, but if the Flyers sell and send Walker elsewhere, Laughton is an excellent consolation. No, he’s not a defenseman, but his style of play would bode well for a team that needs another asset on the bottom-six with a defensive approach.
Much like Dallas, Tampa could use a forward with a physical presence and force opponents into making more irrational decisions with the puck. Opponents have spent time pressuring goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson far too often in 2023-24, so Laughton would return the favor by applying much-needed pressure.
Tampa has a forward who possesses a hard-nosed style in Tanner Jeannot, but he’s been injury-prone this year. Laughton would make a remarkable consolation in the short run, and long-term, the two could forge a formidable duo on the lower lines.
feed
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 21st)