The New York Rangers have been dealing with adversity as of late, but still find themselves in a comfortable spot heading toward the 2024 Trade Deadline. After a massive comeback victory against the New York Islanders, they find themselves focused on their next matchup against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday (Feb. 20), where they will look to build off their strong game. As they head toward the trade deadline, they will be focused on adding assets to bolster their lineup in hopes of making a deep playoff run. One player they have reportedly been connected to is Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Scott Laughton, who could provide stability to the Rangers’ forward depth.
We ran the scenarios on a potential deal for Adam Henrique (and possibly former Ranger Frank Vatrano) from the Ducks a couple of weeks ago. Now, reports have indicated the Rangers have interest in Flyers center Scott Laughton, the longtime Philly forward who still has two years left on his contract at a very manageable $3-million cap hit but could be moved to help facilitate the Flyers’ retool — even though the Flyers, against plenty of predictions, have been in playoff position all year long.
source – ‘Rangers interested in Flyers’ Scott Laughton — what could deal look like between Metro rivals?’ – Arthur Staple and Kevin Kurz – The Athletic – 02/16/2024
As mentioned by The Hockey Writers’ own Jim Parsons: “Staple and Kurz [are] proposing that it might require at least the Rangers’ first-round pick [for Laughton].” While there is a chance the Rangers try to keep their first-round pick this season in what is expected to be a strong 2024 Draft class, I believe it would be smarter to move it to bring in an asset that will help put them into “win now” mode. Kaapo Kakko has had his name tossed around in trade discussions, so he could also be a player the Rangers use to leverage for a rental to give him a fresh start and bring in a valuable player for the remainder of the season.
Laughton is one of several players the Flyers could part with at this season’s trade deadline, the others being Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Konecny, Sean Walker, and Nick Seeler, whose names have all come up in trade rumors this season. If the Flyers think they can sneak into a playoff spot, they may hold off on trading some of their players, but as of right now, it looks like they may be leaning toward selling.
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At the time of this article, the Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 65 points, three points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the Red Wings have two games in hand and have been playing solid hockey as of late, and they don’t have much time to decide on the direction they’re going to go at the deadline.
Who is Scott Laughton & What’s Next for the Rangers?
Laughton is a 29-year-old left-shot forward, who was drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at 20th overall. He stands 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, and played his junior hockey career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Oshawa Generals. Over parts of four seasons with the Generals, he scored 96 goals and added 123 assists for 219 points through 230 games, which comes out to a 0.95 points-per-game average.
Through 575 career NHL games, Laughton has scored 89 goals and added 135 assists for 224 points, which comes out to a 0.39 points-per-game average. This season, he has scored seven goals, added 18 assists for 25 points through 56 games and sits eighth on the team in scoring.
Laughton’s $3 million cap hit is very affordable and is something the Rangers could fit into their payroll at the deadline, who have over $4 million to play with in deadline cap space. The Rangers should be looking to add center depth heading into the postseason, and Laughton brings exactly that. He is a solid forward up the middle and would provide strong stability in the Rangers’ bottom-six.
If the report of the Flyers asking for at least a first-round pick is true, they should look elsewhere. The Winnipeg Jets acquired Sean Monahan earlier this month in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick, and Laughton isn’t quite the player Monahan is, but it’s a pretty close comparison. There are plenty of other options available around the league leading up to the deadline, so they should stay away from Laughton.
The Rangers will have to start getting active on the trade front if they want to beat other teams to the punch and acquire players who can make an impact for a playoff run. I would expect them to be more aggressive in the next couple of weeks and look to get the jump on those other teams. Hopefully, the Rangers make the right moves and can build a roster strong enough to get them back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2014, and their first Stanley Cup championship since 1994.
