Laughton blocked a shot in pre-season, forcing the veteran forward to miss the first 13 games of the season
Scott Laughton was eager to display a better game with the Toronto Maple Leafs after he admitted in training camp that he didn't play well in his first go-around with the club last season.
With a whole training camp under his belt, the veteran forward was eager to take his game to a level he expected.
But then the unexpected happened when Laughton blocked a shot off his foot in a pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings, forcing him to miss the first 13 games of the 2025-26 NHL season.
"You train all summer, you come back, and something like that happens. So hopefully I don't have to see the gym for a while," Laughton said.
Maple Leafs Practice Notes: Laughton, Lorentz Could Return Vs. Mammoth, Carlo, Stolarz Get Maintenance Day
With a few extra bodies up front, the Maple Leafs have opted for a different-looking bottom six, featuring Laughton and Lorentz.
The Leafs acquired Laughton in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline in exchange for a first-round prospect and forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin. Laughton had hoped to play against the Flyers, a team he spent the first 12 years of his NHL career, last week but wasn't full recovered in time.
Ahead of his season debut, Laughton talked about managing the rust that comes from not playing until now, his observations of how the Leafs played without him, and John Tavares, who will be honored with a ceremony following the player's 500th NHL goal. Laughton also discusses what he's learned from Tavares.
What are you kind of expecting tonight? Do you feel like there might be rust jumping in, or are you just going to be full of energy? Do you have any idea kind of what to expect?
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Laughton suffered a lower-body injury in the second-last game of the pre-season, but is set to get on the ice once again.
Yeah, I don't know. I think, obviously, the excitement's there, and I think the energy will be there. It takes you a little bit to get back into game shape when you're out that long. You can't replicate a game. I've been skating, but you can't replicate those battles that you have throughout a game. Just the little parts of it. So, yeah, there's going to be a little bit of rust for sure, I think. But, yeah, you bring energy, consistency, and try and bring the same thing every shift. And that's what I'll try to do and keep it simple for sure and go from there.
What were you feeling when you were watching this team through 13 games?
Yeah, I said it in Philly when I talked to you guys, but the game is an easy game from up top when you're watching. It's a lot slower than down at ice level, what you're feeling, what you're seeing. So I think it's good to watch from up there and see everything. I think it's been said here, just inconsistencies in our game throughout a full game. But we found a way here to kind of stay afloat and keep going. And that's credit to these guys for staying on top of it. But, yeah, I think we need to play 60 minutes in your face, make it hard on teams to come out of their zone and have some sustained zone time. And you see what happens when we do that. We have a ton of success. So that's going to be important for us, and we'll go from there.
‘I Wasn’t Good Enough’: Scott Laughton Enters Maple Leafs Training Camp Focused On Turning His Game Around
Scott Laughton, a self-described "pretty harsh self-critic," wasn't happy with his performance after joining the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> midway through last season."I wasn't good enough last year. That's the bottom line," Laughton said following his first on-ice session at training camp. "I need to be able to contribute offensively and create that way and help out some of those top guys".
What's the significance, do you think, of tonight's game? No one seemed particularly happy even with the win last time. How significant is it to have the pushback to start this week?
Yeah, I think the start's super important. I think to start on time, have a good first period and go from there. Your first shift and kind of feed off each other. I think that's big in this game. So you're not chasing it as much, expending energy, trying to do too much throughout a game. So, yeah, the start's super important. I know guys weren't happy about last game, but they found a way. And in this league, you've got to find a way sometimes and it's hard to win. But, yeah, the start's super important for us tonight.
What would it be like to see John Tavares get honored before the game? I don't know if that provides a little extra spark or energy, but what do you think that would be like?
It's awesome. I didn't know Johnny much before coming here. One of the funniest guys I've ever met. Seriously, one of the funniest guys I've ever met and one of the greatest pros I've seen. Everyone talks about how good of a pro he is off the ice, but the details in his game away from the rink, and he's been great to me since I've gotten here, and we've become pretty close. He's a super nice guy and a great family man.
How many people highlight his sense of humor?
Yeah, like, how is he funny? He's, I don't know how to describe it, but he makes me laugh a lot. And, yeah, it's a little bit dry. But, yeah, just he makes me laugh, I'll say that.
How Scott Laughton And Steven Lorentz's Strong Relationship Can Bring The Best Out Of The Maple Leafs’ Fourth Line
When <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/i-would-love-to-play-my-whole-career-here-inside-steven-lorentz-s-three-year-extension-with-the-maple-leafs">Steven Lorentz</a> looks back on playing against <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/hopefully-those-conversations-come-scott-laughton-being-patient-for-contract-negotiations-with-maple-leafs">Scott Laughton</a> in his junior days, he remembers a player who had a mean face and a knack for scoring goals. All these years later, they're <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-lineup-for-pre-season-matchup-against-canadiens-revealed-and-where-to-watch">fighting side-by-side on a line with the Toronto Maple Leafs</a>.
You didn't know him much, but you played him at the most he liked to play against, especially when he gets – he pucks in down low.
Yeah, unbelievable. That's what I was just going to say, down low. I think he's found another gear this year. Man is skating. He looks so explosive through the neutral zone, and he can make those plays that a lot of guys can't make at the blue line. He finds space. I skated with him a ton this summer, and you see it. You see how successful he is with how much work he puts into himself, and he finishes every puck in practice. He does the little things like that, and that's the first thing I told him when I got here is I'm excited to learn from him, and I've definitely learned from him a ton, and he's a great teammate.
Is there any stories that really stick out just about his preparation, anything that you sort of picked up to?
Well, I saw it a lot with JVR (James van Riemsdyk) in Philly, the way he went about things, just recovery, everything like that. And Johnny's right up there with that all day at the rink. He's got something going and always looking to better himself. And it's a testament to him. He's been around. He's done a lot in his career, and he's still looking to get better and find a way to help this team. So there's not one thing I'd pinpoint. It's just every day the consistency of it.
Do you still get nervous? Butterflies, anything, before your first game of the season?
I would say so, yeah. I think this one for sure. I think just being off that long, I think you always feel that. And it's special to come back in when you sit that long. And, yeah, yesterday was a ton of fun. And this morning waking up, coming in here and not having a workout was fun too. So I'm excited for, yeah, I'm going to have that nervous energy. And I think it's a good thing to have.
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