3 contenders who must call the Flyers for Scott Laughton at the trade deadline
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.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 21st)