The Flyers drafted Scott Laughton 20th overall in 2012, and after years of marinating in the AHL with limited NHL ice time, he became a full-time roster member in 2017-18 and has been a highly respected depth forward ever since. His 30th birthday comes around in May of 2024 and he’s got an additional two seasons on his current contract at a $3 million cap hit. He’s currently wearing the only letter on the team, the second season he has an “A” on his jersey.
His name boiled up in trade rumors last summer, but ultimately nothing became of them. And as the deadline breaks on the horizon, it’s no surprise he is once again drawing trade interest, but will the Flyers actually pull the trigger this time?
Keep
The main reason for keeping Laughton is the exact reason the franchise refused to part ways with him during the 2023 offseason- he’s a respected leader in the room and the de facto captain, even if John Tortorella’s ego is too big to actually award him the “C.” It has nothing to do with his on-ice production or level of play. The organization is hell bent on establishing a culture and if Laughton fits that mold then he is going to stick around.
He posted a career-best 18 goals and 43 points in 78 games last season and currently has two goals and 13 points in 27 games this year as his role has decreased back down to bottom six center rather than the middle-six left wing role he was in for a majority of the last few seasons, which explains his slight dip in production. At this point in his career, he’s probably best served on the wing, but with an overflow of talent on the flanks and weakness down the middle, he had to revert to a position that was never his strongest to begin with. If they keep him, factoring in where he’s going to play for the future needs to be considered to get the most out of the player from an on-ice perspective, not just from a leadership angle.
Trade
There were some substantial rumors out there during the 2023 offseason from insiders like Frank Seravalli that suggested some teams could be looking to offer a first round pick plus another high pick for Laughton’s services. While that seems hard to believe, when it comes to the NHL trade deadline, there are always a few trades every season that seem completely crazy and lop-sided, and it’s typically players in the Laughton tier that draw the most in return. If a first round pick is still on the table for Scott Laughton, it’s an option they really have to consider this time around, especially if the peak of his on-ice career has already passed.
Outside of the intangibles of his off-ice guidance, there isn’t a ton of reason for making him untouchable. His skillset is relatively average. Certainly nothing that they couldn’t easily find in the form of a couple dozen copy-and-pasted free agents every summer. And now that he’s entering his 30s with multiple years left on his contract, the Flyers need to be aware that it’s possible to hang onto him for too long, draining his value down to nothing if they wait and his his play disintegrates further.
Conclusion
Keeping Laughton around in the name of good culture, without actually naming him captain, and turning down returns that included a first round pick plus, is quite frankly ridiculous. It’s easily the most questionable thing the Briere regime has done thus far.
Laughton probably does play a substantial role behind the scenes as a leader. Even though it’s just an “A” on his jersey, the fact nobody else is wearing one- Couturier, Konency, Atkinson, Sanheim, etc, means Laughton is appreciated on another level by the coaching staff and front office. And with Tortorella carrying out a culture-based rebuild, Laughton is probably a critical member of the nucleus moving forward.
It all comes down to what the Flyers value more- building through the draft and getting big returns for their assets, or building a culture and thus keeping the otherwise random depth players in order to achieve that goal, even if the value is there in the trade market. Considering it seems to be the latter, it would not be surprising at all to see them retain Laughton again at the deadline and continue to kick their decision down the road a little further until the offseason rolls around and once again revisit the topic.
Luckily, Laughton isn’t a player an acquiring team is looking to add because of his blistering offensive abilities. His overall value won’t dip that much between a 30 point season and a 40 point season. So even if they defer on a decision at the deadline, he should still be an easy piece to move during the offseason. But if that’s the plan they do have to be careful to not wait too long. Can’t imagine denying the trade request of potential suitors every step along the way works out well if they get into a position where they actually want or need to deal him away some point in the future.
The fate of Scott Laughton poses one of the more fascinating insights into the thought process of the front office. If they retain his services through the deadline and offseason it probably means he’s not going anywhere for the remainder of his deal, at least until the 2026 trade deadline when he’s a pending unrestricted free agent. Though if his trade value remains at a high level and they don’t move him and also refuse to build up the rest of the team, it’s just not a smart asset management or player valuation from Briere. So what do they find more worth in- Draft capital or leadership? Guess we’ll just have to wait until March to find out.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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