How a Scott Laughton trade could change the NHL trade market
As we officially enter the 4 Nations Faceoff break, trade chatter around the league continues to pick up.
Though there may be somewhat of an unwritten rule not to make deals during the tournament, there is no official trade freeze that would prohibit NHL general managers from pulling the trigger on a move that they deem as can’t miss.
For the Philadelphia Flyers, GM Daniel Briere has seemingly accepted over the last number of weeks that his club will be sellers. Several weeks back, he got that ball rolling when he traded Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Calgary Flames for a return heavily focused on the future, the long-term cap space and second-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft being the integral pieces of the return. But there are other names to keep tabs on on the Flyers roster before the Trade Deadline.
This past Saturday, I reported that center Scott Laughton was generating an uptick in interest over the last little bit. Among the teams heavily interested are the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, who both have a need down the middle of the ice.
In the case of the Leafs, a third-line center has been a focal point of team needs for several seasons. Two years back, the club traded for Ryan O’Reilly ahead of the Trade Deadline; the move helped catapult the Leafs into the second round for the first time in nearly three years.
Some believe that the Leafs should shoot higher than Laughton and look for a second-line center, which would allow head coach Craig Berube to push John Tavares to the wing and potentially slide Max Domi down to the third-line spot.
The Leafs project to have a little less than $3 million in cap space by the deadline, so it will take a little cap gymnastics to fit Laughton in at full price ($3 million AAV) for this season and next; given the level of interest in Laughton, I don’t think the Flyers will be looking to retain salary on him. If the return is sufficient enough, perhaps the Flyers would take back a player like David Kampf and the remaining two years on his contract at a $2.4 million cap hit.
As for the actual return, Fraser Minten’s name has been tied to the Flyers; given the team’s lack of center depth, Minten would check a much-needed box in the pipeline. Overall, a first-round selection (or prospect/player equivalent) is what the Flyers will want as a starting point – not the end all – in a package for Laughton. The Leafs do not have a first-round pick in 2025, but the Flyers are open to the pick being in 2026, too.
As for the Jets, they need a shot in the arm down the middle, too. Only difference is that, as with the Leafs, adding a 2C would be more of a luxury, you could make the case with the Jets that it’s more of a necessity. With captain Adam Lowry out with injury, Vladislav Namestnikov and Rasmus Kupari have held down the middle six pivot spots. Behind Mark Scheifele, that is a relatively steep drop off down the middle of the ice.
Laughton is a rock-solid 3C, but asking him to go higher than that is a risk. Could Lowry and Laughton be serviceable as a tandem in the middle six as centers? I’d say so, but there is the inherent risk of not having enough offense.
The Jets are a tougher team to read, as one person said to me, so what they’re willing to give up is tougher to gauge. They do have their first-round picks in both 2025 and 2026, so that is what I’d imagine the Flyers would be targeting as the base of any return for Laughton. Unlike the Leafs, I don’t think the Flyers look at any of the Jets’ prospects as more valuable than a first-round pick.
From the Flyers’ side of things, they are in a position of power with Laughton because of the overall lack of centers available for trade right now.
The top dog and No. 1 on Frank Seravalli’s trade targets board is New York Islanders pivot Brock Nelson, but as a rental, are either the Leafs or Jets going to pony up the asking price? Yanni Gourde of the Seattle Kraken could be a good fit as a third line center, but on the shelf with injury until mid-March, is the buyer beware too much to gamble on? Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres continues to have teams circling, but with GM Kevyn Adams driving such a hard line on what he wants in return – along with the significant term and money left on the contract – is it something the Leafs or Jets are prepared to absorb in-season?
The one interesting name that is in play is O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators – someone the Leafs know all too well.
O’Reilly, 34, has two years remaining on his contract with a $4.5 million AAV. Like Laughton, he wouldn’t be a rental and has the pedigree of winning a Stanley Cup. Even at an advanced age, O’Reilly has more to offer offensively than Laughton, too.
Though O’Reilly doesn’t have trade protection, the Predators will not move him without his blessing on the destination; it would have to be the right deal. O’Reilly won’t be moved for “just a pick,” as one person said to me, and would have to be 100% with the players’ consent. It was said that O’Reilly did not especially love playing in Toronto 24 months ago, so perhaps that landing spot can already be taken off the table. Not a lot of players love playing in Winnipeg, so is that a realistic destination?
Laughton doesn’t seem to have a lot of comparables on the trade market, but O’Reilly is the only one that could shift the market. Even with that said, seeing as how O’Reilly has de facto trade protection, it will give Briere the edge in being able to field offers from every team.
Following my report Saturday, three new teams reached out on Laughton’s availability. While I can’t say the teams for sure, I can tell you two were from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conference. On the whole, seven teams are showing interest in the player, including the Jets and Leafs.
Laughton, 30, has 11 goals and 26 points through 54 games this season.
As for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, not a whole lot has changed. Missing the 4 Nations Faceoff due to injury, the defenseman is expected to be practicing with the Flyers in time for the return to play. Four teams are said to be circling on his availability, with one of them telling the Flyers retention may be involved, much like Laughton (who I’ve been told is more likely to move of the two) the ask starts with a first round pick.
Ristolainen, 30, is signed until 2027 at an AAV of $5.1 million.