The Philadelphia Flyers are amid one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. With their rebuild now underway and needing some young talent in their organization, there could be some veterans who are shipped out. One of those is 30-year-old center Scott Laughton.
Laughton, a veteran of the Orange and Black for 601 games, has essentially seen it all with Philadelphia. Through the ups and downs of the last 11 seasons, he has been there through all of it. For the betterment of his own career and the Flyers’ franchise moving forward, he should be traded. How would the Flyers benefit?
Laughton Has Been an On-Ice Liability for Some Time
On the surface, one might see Laughton and think he is pretty good. He put up 39 points in 2023-24, which was one of the better marks on the Flyers. Unfortunately, he is much like Cam Atkinson in this way — he was rather unimpressive in putting up said points. The other aspects of his game just weren’t all that great, which would be a bit concerning if it was just for one season. In Laughton’s case, this has been going on for his last three campaigns.
In the last three seasons, both he and former teammate Kevin Hayes have very similar numbers. In terms of expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) at even strength, Laughton sits at 3.08 while Hayes is at 3.09. Both of these are some of the worst marks since 2021-22, ranking in the 21st and 20th percentiles respectively among forwards. This was a big reason why the latter was traded last offseason — he was giving up scoring chances far too often.
In expected goals percentage (xGF%), they have also not been very good. Laughton is sitting at 46.2 percent versus Hayes’ 46.3 percent, which is pretty interesting seeing as both of them have played virtually the same amount of ice time at even strength since 2021-22 — their strength of competition is about equal. It was so bad for Laughton that every single player on the team with at least 20 games played had a worse xGF% with him than without in his last campaign.
Points per 60 (P/60) is where Laughton should probably be pulling ahead since it’s one of the few arguments to keep him on the team, but it’s actually the only category that he loses somewhat sizably. Since 2021-22, he has a 1.76 P/60 while Hayes is at 2.00 P/60. In terms of offensive scoring, Laughton is the loser.
Hayes was traded for a mere pittance that was a sixth-round pick and the Flyers had to retain half of his salary back in the 2023 offseason. Seen as a pretty likable player with a lot of heart just like Laughton, it’s hard to see why the team was in such a rush to get rid of Hayes beyond the fact that he and head coach John Tortorella weren’t on the best of terms. Improving the “culture” is not a very good reason — it’s time to make a change.
Younger Flyers Can Get Opportunities
Getting Laughton out of the lineup would serve as a great opportunity to get some younger players vying for a roster spot to get that. An NHL lineup spot has to be earned rather than given, but taking the veteran out of the picture can help others prove themselves. Seeing as Laughton has not done so for the past three seasons, it’s only right for someone else to get that opportunity.
The Flyers don’t currently have a lot of young talent that could make the transition to the NHL in 2024-25 on the offensive front, but there are a few candidates. A player that frequented the lineup toward the end of the 2023-24 season, Olle Lycksell could get a bigger role with the Orange and Black. The 24-year-old played solely fourth-line minutes and appeared in 18 contests, spending a good chunk of time in the offensive zone — his 44.1 percent offensive zone ice time percentage was in the 78th percentile among forwards. Some more usage could unlock his scoring.
Also, 25-year-old Oscar Eklind, while not necessarily young, might be a good addition. The Flyers signed him out of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) toward the end of the season. He’s had decent production in the SHL with 28 points in 48 games in 2023-24 but appears to be capped upside-wise. Still, if he can produce in a bottom-six role, he could be trade bait down the line.
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21-year-old winger Samu Tuomaala might be fighting an uphill battle to make the NHL next season, but he was fairly promising in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was one of the best rookies in the league, scoring 43 points in 69 games. The production fell off a little bit toward the end of the season, but he has the offensive talent to be a good middle-six winger in the NHL someday. Perhaps another season in the AHL would be beneficial, but he could be like Bobby Brink and take the jump anyway.
This is probably the biggest stretch, but 22-year-old Massimo Rizzo is fresh out of college and ready to make an impact against professionals. He had 44 points in 30 games in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2023-24, so he has NHL upside. He could be useful as a bottom-six forward.
Projecting a Return Package for Laughton
It’s somewhat difficult to project a return for Laughton, considering the off-ice dynamics skew his value. He’s a great leader and teams value that — perhaps too much if reports on a potential package were accurate last offseason. The on-ice play is a complete contradiction to how the Flyers value him, but leadership is an essential quality in the NHL.
There are teams around the league that could help Laughton return to old form. In 2020-21, he was fairly good and every bit deserving of his five-year extension worth $15 million. Since then, it has all been downhill — his only upside with the Flyers has been his play on the penalty kill. On a new team, he might be able to get his previous offensive and defensive play to return to a respectable level.
Plenty of clubs around the NHL can afford his $3 million can hit and make use of his intangibles. He shouldn’t return a first-round pick, otherwise it would be a fleecing by general manager (GM) Danny Briere, but a second-round pick or perhaps a later pick and a decent prospect could be beneficial for the two parties involved in a deal. He has some good qualities, it’s just about maximizing those — a different situation can help that happen.
It obviously won’t be easy to part ways with Laughton based on the personality aspect, but it’s time to make a change. Briere should right his wrongs from his 2023 offseason and do what he should have done back then — Laughton should be on another team in 2024-25.