Should The Flyers Trade Scott Laughton?
As mentioned on @hockeynight yesterday, there has been a lot of interest on #Flyers forward Scott Laughton.
PHI has turned down late first round picks in offers for Laughton, which is indicative of how much they value the player. #fueledbyphilly
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) June 11, 2023
Some interesting news came out over the weekend in regards to Flyers forward Scott Laughton. As everyone is well aware new Flyers GM Danny Briere is listening to offers on everyone and has been very active in the trade market recently. We’ve seen Carter Harts name been tossed out there after the Provorov trade as well as Travis Konency.
Now, it appears that Scott Laughton has been a hot topic in the trade rumors over the last few days.
Laughton is coming off of a career season where he scored 18 goals and added 25 assist for 43 points. The former 1st round pick has really come into his own over the last couple of seasons and seems to have found another level to his game under head coach John Tortorella.
Torts had high praise for Laughton all throughout the season and rewarded him with the assistant captain honor. Laughton stepped into the role of a leader on and off the ice with the trade of Claude Giroux and the absence due to injuries to Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson.
With the Flyers finally embracing a rebuild, Laughton is one of the guys who is in the middle ground. On one side of things he is 29 years old and has a good contract and is valued throughout the league and could bring back a decent return. On the other side of things he is the exact type of veteran player you would want on a rebuilding team. The guy embodies Flyers hockey and is the guy that will help change the culture of the Flyers. He brings the effort night in and night out and regardless of the score you know what you’re going to get out of him.
Now, when it comes to moving or keeping Laughton I’m really torn here. Hearing they have turned down late first round picks already for him kind of shocked me at first but maybe Daniel Briere thinks that a team out there values him enough that he can get more down the road.
In my eyes I think the best thing for the Flyers to do with Laughton is to hang onto him until the trade deadline. Unless you are blown away by a deal on draft night I think you could get multiple picks for him come the trade deadline especially if he is having anywhere close to the year he did last season.
At the trade deadline last year the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators for defenseman Cal Foote, a 2025 first round pick, 2024 second round pick, and 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks in this years draft.
An absolute haul for an undrafted 26 year old guy that scored 24 goals and 17 assist in 2021-22. If Jeannot can get that, just imagine what Scott Laughton could do having a similar season to what he had last year at the trade deadline. The Flyers could potentially be looking at multiple first round picks from a team that thinks they are a guy like Laughton away from winning a Stanley Cup.
Yes, I know it might sound ridiculous but look what Briere was able to get for Provorov in his first trade as GM. Sure it’s wishful thinking that Laughton could bring back a massive haul but one thing is clear, he is valued throughout the league and Danny Briere is smart enough to see that and will make sure the Flyers get a good return for him if they decide to move him.
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-Walsh