Dave Litman
The Toronto Maple Leafs are poised to be very busy sellers this week. The trade deadline hits on Friday at 3pm Eastern. Pending unrestricted free agents are the most likely candidates to go, though much of the team is available for the right price.
Scott Laughton knows all about being dealt at the deadline. Exactly one year ago, he was acquired by Toronto from the Philadelphia Flyers. And he’s made it very clear he’s loved every minute of it playing for his hometown team.
“It’s hard sometimes. But, at the end of the day, you’re in the NHL & one of the best franchises. It’s a very humbling opportunity to play here & it’s a special place … I’ve loved it here,” Laughton told TSN’s Mark Masters.
But with no real headway being made on an extension, there’s a very real possibility that Laughton could be wearing a new uniform by the weekend. Insider Elliotte Friedman feels the hard-working center would be an ideal fit for a certain Stanley Cup contender out west.
Laughton linked to Avalanche as deadline approaches
On Sunday’s NHL on TNT, Friedman was discussing the possibility of the Colorado Avalanche re-acquiring Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames. He told the crew that Kadri’s $7 million cap hit would be awfully difficult for them to fit into their cap structure going forward. They need to keep their house in order for the big Cale Maker extension coming in the summer. That’s when he evoked Laughton’s name.
One of the centers I heard that could end up in Colorado is Scott Laughton. I think he’d be a tremendous fit. He would be more of a rental.
The 31-year-old’s five-year, $15 million contract ($3M AAV) expires at season’s end.
Laughton had been a regular double-digit goal-scorer, with between 30 and 40 points annually in his previous few years with the Flyers. His numbers in Toronto have paled, however, on the offensive end. This year, he’s found the net eight times, with 12 points in 42 games.
But it’s the intangibles that Laughton brings that creates value. He provides leadership, on and off the ice, is hard-working, and plays with a physical intensity. A gritty, bottom-six center that any contending team could use.
The Avalanche, in particular, are in the market for a third-line center. And this isn’t the first time he’s been linked to the team. His face-off acumen (56.7% this season), and his reasonable cap hit also make him an great fit for Colorado’s needs.
In what could be his final game with the Leafs, Laughton faces his old team, the Flyers, on Monday night.
