As the Flyers' only player to wear a letter on their chest, Scott Laughton stepped up in more ways than one.

Following the departure of Claude Giroux, the Flyers needed a genuine leader to rely upon to help run the locker room and assist in steering the ship as a new age of hockey dawned in Philadelphia. Of course, filling the shoes of a franchise legend — the longest tenured captain in team history — is no easy task, but someone had to step up and do their best to serve as the heart and soul of the Flyers in the first season of the post-Giroux era.

To no one's surprise, Scott Laughton answered the bell. And while he didn't ultimately earn the "C" in the wake of Giroux's exit, he did cement himself as the unquestioned top dog in the Flyers locker room. He was the only Flyer to wear a letter during the 2022-23 season, leading by example both on and off the ice, and he also put together the best statistical season of his campaign to boot.

Season In Review

On the ice, Laughton was solid throughout the 2022-23 campaign. At 28 years old, he logged career highs in every major statistical category with 18 goals, 25 assists, and 43 points on the season. Unsurprisingly, he also continued to play a significant role on the penalty kill, leading all Flyers forwards in shorthanded ice time and shorthanded points.

In fact, only two players in the entire NHL — Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller — logged more shorthanded points than Laughton. Not too shabby.

At 5-on-5, Laughton's numbers were a lot less impressive. But then again, no one on the Flyers' roster posted the greatest 5-on-5 play-driving metrics.

Of all 12 Flyers forwards to log at least 300 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, Laughton ranked fifth in Corsi For percentage (47.64), fourth in Expected Goals For percentage (49.42), and fourth in Expected Goals For per 60 (2.66). In other words, he typically performed better than average in comparison to his teammates when it came to driving play.

Pretty much par for the course for Laughton at this point.

Off the ice, though, Laughton played as big a role as ever, and it earned him the nomination for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given annually "to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

Laughton is no stranger to making an impact in the Delaware Valley. Not only is he heavily involved with Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia, along with several other charitable initiatives, but he's also an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ+ community, playing a major role in the Flyers' Pride Night celebrations.

"I think (being an LGBTQ+ ally) has been been big for me ever since I’ve been in the league, just making sure you feel comfortable in your own skin," Laughton told Broad Street Hockey last February. "I think that’s the biggest thing is to feel welcome. And I think if you can make this game more inclusive, and doesn’t matter what skin color, or what, who you love, at the end of the day, if you want to play hockey, you should be able to, and I think that’s the biggest part of it."

Selected in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Laughton has turned out to be a quality player in the Flyers' middle six, and an even better person off the ice. Deservedly, he's being recognized for it.

Standout Moment

Laughton hit a pretty notable milestone in 2022-23 when he played in his 500th NHL game. He even logged an empty-net goal in the contest to earn the Flyers a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

But as nice as it was to see Laughton score in his 500th game, his goal against the Florida Panthers on March 21 was probably one of his best goals of the season.

Late in the game's middle period, Tony DeAngelo sprung Laughton with a nice stretch pass to create a breakaway opportunity, and Laughton took full advantage of it. One-on-one against his old buddy Alex Lyon, Laughton showed off his filthy mitts and backhanded the puck over Lyon's left skate to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead. They ended up winning that game by a score of 6-3.

Bottom Line

No one on the Flyers is currently wearing a "C" on their chest, but Laughton might as well be considered the unofficial captain for the time being. The veteran forward has become an integral piece in just about all situations, whether it's 5-on-5, the penalty kill, or the power play. He's not the flashiest or the most skilled, but he's a solid, useful player who provides quality intangibles — leadership, toughness, work ethic — to a team that desperately needs them.

Laughton's no superstar, but he's the exact type of player anyone would want to have on their team.

Verdict:

Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.