Toronto acquired a conditional third-round pick in 2026 for Laughton, who's a UFA at the end of this season.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton has gotten off to a strong start with his new team.
The 31-year-old, who was traded from the Maple Leafs to the L.A. Kings on Friday at the deadline for a conditional third-rounder in 2026, made his debut with his new club on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Laughton centered the Kings' third line, alongside Alex Turcotte and Jared Wright, and scored a game-tying goal for his new team in the second period.
Wright made a behind-the-back pass below the goal line to Laughton. He received the puck, spun, and then fired a shot under Jakub Dobes for his ninth goal of the season. It was Laughton's first goal since Jan. 23 against the Vegas Golden Knights, while with the Maple Leafs.
The Canadiens and Kings traded goals back and forth throughout the game, but Nick Suzuki's marker with less than five minutes to go in the third period turned out to be the game-winner for Montreal.
L.A. pushed to tie the game late in the third period, and Laughton was among the players on the ice fighting for a goal. Despite not scoring, the veteran forward finished the game with 15:08 of ice time in his Kings debut.
Laughton played more of a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs and had only 10 games this season in which his ice time was higher than what it was in his debut with the Kings.
Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, Laughton was living out his dream of playing for the Maple Leafs. Before being moved, he expressed a desire to remain with his hometown club.
However, with where Toronto sits in the standings, general manager Brad Treliving decided to sell, and Laughton — an unrestricted agent at the end of this season — was among the players traded before Friday's 3:00 p.m. ET deadline.
Hours after being shipped to the Kings, Laughton shared a post on X with a photo and video of him in Maple Leafs gear alongside his son, Reed. "Thank you Toronto," he wrote. "Dream come true."
Laughton joined the Maple Leafs via trade one year earlier from the Philadelphia Flyers. Toronto moved a conditional first-rounder in 2027 and Nikita Grebenkin for the bottom-six center.
"(Laughton) fit in right away," said Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews on Saturday morning, looking back on Laughton's tenure in Toronto. "I mean, he was only here for a year. I think a lot of guys kind of knew him from the Toronto area, and just an incredible guy."
The Oakville, Ontario-born forward finished his Maple Leafs tenure with 10 goals and 16 points in 63 regular-season games, plus two assists in 13 postseason games last spring.