Laughton logged 9:28 of ice time while scoring a goal. It was his second-lowest ice time of the season.
It was a little less than a year ago when the Toronto Maple Leafs traded away a first-round draft pick and popular Russian prospect forward Nikita Grebenkin to acquire veteran forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Although his tenure got off to a slow start following his acquisition on Mar. 7 of 2025, and a pair of injuries slowed his start to this season, he has since become a reliable bottom-six forward for the Leafs and a quickly become a favourite for his understanding of what the fans' expectations are for the team.
So when his team got off to a slow start and had a worse third period in their game against Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights, he didn't mince words following the 6-3 loss.
He said the lack of speed and urgency wasn't enough before adding other elements.
"It's simplicity, too. I mean, you're D are tired. You don't need to come back with the puck and make it harder," He said. "You chip pucks in, you fill lanes, you make it easy on your D, and you make it hard. That's how you win at this time of year, and that's how you win in the playoffs."
Laughton scored Toronto's second goal that cut Vegas' lead to 4-2 midway through the second period, but logged a low 9:28 of ice time in the loss.
"Well, he's been playing 14 minutes a night for the most part. Last night we were down in the game. I went with two lines in that second period for a little bit to get caught up," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Laughton's usage. "That's what happened there."
When injuries have hit the forward group, Laughton has been called to move up the lineup from time to time, but he's been primarily used on the fourth line, which can be hard to digest given what the Leafs gave up to get the popular forward.
Laughton has eight goals and two assists in 33 games. He is in unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.