With the trade deadline looming, you start to wonder which Flyers might be going away soon. There could be some surprises. After all, I don't think anyone saw that BOTH Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost would be traded together. There are lots of rumors. Some of these mean nothing. The Flyers may do nothing because either they have nobody other teams want or they won't get a fair market price.
Then there are the other names that pop up all the time. Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton have been popular names for the last few years. They are still donning orange and black jerseys. That could change. It may not.
I can't say for sure what a player like Laughton is worth. A lot of that depends on the demand for a player of his caliber. You also need to see what teams are in for a center. After all, some teams like the New York Rangers have already begun dismantling their team.
So for here, I'm not going to speculate on a return. I'm going to suggest a few teams that may be interested in acquiring Laughton's services for the rest of the season and beyond.
Washington Capitals
One of the worst kept secrets in the NHL is that the Capitals are looking for a bottom six center. They are currently the top team in the Eastern Conference and would love to bring the Stanley Cup back to DC before Alex Ovechkin retires. And if they can do it in the same year he breaks Wayne Gretzky's record, so much the better.
Washington doesn't have a ton of cap space, but they'd have enough to get Laughton, especially if the Flyers took a player in return. Laughton is a solid player who would provide them with the defensive-forward they need, especially on penalty kills and faceoffs. He could be a perfect player for what they are looking for. But would you want to see him four to five times a year in the future on the Capitals?
Boston Bruins
Boston has the cap space to make it happen. More importantly, they have the need. Brad Marchand is out week-to-week. The Bruins are desperately trying to claw their way back into the playoff race. A player like Laughton could get them back in it.
Would the Bruins make the deal? I think a lot of that will depend on if they want to buy and try or sell and wait for next year to restart.
Florida Panthers
With Matthew Tkachuk out for the rest of the regular season, Florida has been very active in trying to defend their Stanley Cup title. They've made a lot of moves and it looks as if they are going to attempt the same salary cap chicanery that Tampa Bay did when they hid some injured players on the way to a Stanley Cup title run.
The one issue here is that they are lacking in a lot of high-end draft picks. If you are looking for some prospects, you may be able to find some, but their next first round draft pick will be coming in 2027. Laughton would be a great fit on this team. but they don't have much to offer.
Columbus Blue Jackets
They are the surprise of the NHL and are riding high right now. After a nightmarish offseason, they are close to making the playoffs for the first time in years. This is a team that has a lot of cap space and a lot of draft picks. They also have a lot of high-end prospects.
The one thing this team doesn't have is a lot of veteran leadership. Laughton offers a lot of skills that this team could use for a deep push into the playoffs. Likewise, they would have him signed on beyond this year. This could be a great matchup
Edmonton Oilers
Every year, the Oilers are a top pick to win a Stanley Cup. Every year they fall short. They are probably getting tired of it. Laughton on the third or fourth line would add more depth to their team and make them even more dangerous. He would also help take some pressure off of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Edmonton has the cap space. They don't have a lot in the way of draft picks, but might have some prospects or young players that could be attractive. And if the Oilers are serious about winning the Cup, they may overpay.
In short, Flyers GM Daniel Briere has some options. There may be some random team that comes out of nowhere, like Vancouver, that swoops in and makes a great offer. Who knows? The best case scenario, if Laughton is traded, is if two or more of these teams (or similar ones) start playing off each other. That would drive the price ever higher and the Flyers could reap the benefits of that. However, if they hold off too long, they may lose all interest from other teams and not be able to move Laughton, or anyone.