According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Philadelphia Flyers are assessing interest in centerman Scott Laughton on the trade market. Dreger said that while Philadelphia is reticent to transfer Laughton, they are open to hearing offers now that the market for centermen has dried up. Following Elias Lindholm’s trade to the Vancouver Canucks, TSN’s Trade Bait series now features only three centermen: Adam Henrique, Sean Monahan, and Jack Roslovic.
Teams reportedly offered late first-round choices for Laughton last summer, but Philadelphia wanted to keep the depth centerman. The franchise selected Laughton 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, and he made his NHL debut the following season. He has appeared in every season since, totaling 569 games and 219 points during 11 seasons with the Flyers, establishing himself as a key member of the team’s bottom-six forwards and penalty-killing teams. He’s even earned a power-play role in recent seasons, which helped him score a career-high 43 points in 78 games last season. That scoring production hasn’t carried over into this year, with Laughton scoring only 20 points in 50 games, his lowest point-per-game rate since the 2020-21 season.
Nonetheless, a bottom-of-the-line centerman who can play on both special teams is quite valuable. Laughton’s contract makes him even more valuable, with a $3 million cap hit over the next three seasons, the second-lowest among the centermen on TSN’s trade board and the only one with a deal beyond this season. A first-round selection is likely the opening bid in any Laughton trade talks, though it may take much more to persuade Philadelphia to part with the club’s 500-game veteran.
