Toronto Maple Leafs center Scott Laughton is a pending UFA. But instead of trading him, the Leafs should keep him for the long term. And they need to play him more.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the NHL's biggest disappointments this season, and it's not just their record that's been hard to stomach for their long-suffering fan base.
Even some of their roster usage decisions are baffling, and leading to subpar results.
Veteran center Scott Laughton, for instance, has been one of the few Maple Leafs players who play with the snot and snarl the team has long wanted under GM Brad Treliving.
That said, he is averaging 13:46 of ice time this season. And in two of his past four games, Laughton has played 12:53 in one game and 9:28 in the other. He ranks fourth among Leafs forwards in hits per 60 minutes, he's winning 57 percent of his faceoffs, and as a stalwart penalty-killer, he has two short-handed goals.
We're not here to micromanage every move Leafs coach Craig Berube makes, but Laughton's time-on-ice average is nearly two minutes less than he was playing two seasons ago with the Philadelphia Flyers – when he had a career-high 26 assists. The year before that, when he averaged 18:17, Laughton set career highs in goals (18) and points (43).
Yes, Laughton's eight goals and 10 points in 36 games don't wow anyone. But based on the secondary scoring he's been able to do in the past, plus the other ways he can help his team at both ends of the ice, the team shouldn't start giving up on him by limiting his shifts or even trading the pending UFA by the March 6 trade deadline.
While we understand you can make a strong case for the Leafs to move Laughton – he's someone you paid a high trade price to acquire, so the optics would look great if they can get a high return for a pending free agent – we'd say that not only should Toronto not trade Laughton, they should play him considerably more the rest of the season. And at the end of the year, they should re-sign him to a two- or three-year contract extension.
There is a term for a player like Laughton – it's "glue guy."
He was beloved in the Flyers dressing room, and he's already endeared himself to his Maple Leafs teammates and the community on and off the ice.
You don't employ him because you want him to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top point-getter. You employ him because you want him to tie the room together as a guy no opponent wants to play against. He holds his own and leads by example. You need those types of players as part of your bottom-six group of forwards.
Now, the Flyers retained half of Laughton's $3-million cap hit when they traded him, so re-signing him will take at least that amount, if not slightly more. But that move feels like a no-brainer for Treliving.
At 31, Laughton has a lot of good hockey left in him. And for as much as we respect Berube, we believe the Leafs would be in a better place if Laughton's minutes were increased. You don't have to play him on Auston Matthews' wing all the time, but four or five more shifts for Laughton each game would not only bring out more of his potential as a two-way, secondary scorer, but it would reward a guy who is one of the few Leafs who looks like they give a toss what the result of the game is.
Some team may step up and offer Treliving an overwhelmingly attractive package for Laughton. At that point, it would be criminal not to trade him. But until that day and that offer arrives, Laughton should be kept in the Blue and White. They need more players like him, and they need to use him more.
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