The Flyers are listening on every player on the roster, and Scott Laughton is reportedly drawing serious interest.
The Philadelphia Flyers are open for business, and less than a week after trading Ivan Provorov, it sounds like general manager Danny Briere could be considering moving one of the club’s most popular players.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Flyers forward Scott Laughton has generated some serious interest from other teams, and the Flyers are unsure of what to do with their unofficial team captain.
Friedman first noted the rising interest in Laughton Saturday night during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“I heard they’re getting a lot of calls about him, and I have heard they are torn,” Friedman said on Monday's edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
“One of the things that I think is an issue here is that you need great players to help smooth the transition for those young people into the NHL, and I think the Flyers see him as a very big part of that. But I’ve been told that they’re getting calls, and they’re gonna get tempted. I’ve seen lots of rumors about what it’ll take. I think right now, they’re just kind of trying to figure out who’s all in and what that’ll all mean, but someone did say to me that they think there’s a decent chance that they’re gonna get an offer they’re gonna have to consider.”
There’s most definitely a case to be made for the Flyers to keep Laughton. As the only Flyer to wear a letter on his chest this season, his leadership will only become more vital as the club looks to get younger and inject more youth into the roster. Laughton, without question, will serve as a respected mentor to those younger players.
He's also coming off the best statistical campaign of his career, having logged 18 goals and 43 total points in 78 games. Plus, for the third straight season, Laughton was named the Flyers’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is given "to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." He’s become a fan favorite thanks to his charitable efforts, and has earned league-wide respect for his work supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
But as likable as Laughton is, the Flyers are also not in the business to play favorites. Briere has stated numerous times since being named full-time general manager that no player on the roster is untouchable, and Laughton, though useful, shouldn’t be excluded from trade discussions.
Selected by the Flyers in the first round (No. 20 overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Laughton has registered 82 goals and 199 total points in 519 career games. He’s also fresh off a gold medal-winning run with Canada at the World Championships in his first time competing in the tournament.
Like any player on the Flyers’ roster, Laughton should be on the market. But it will likely take a significantly bigger package to pry him from Philadelphia than many would expect.