3 contenders who must call the Flyers for Scott Laughton at the trade deadline

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.