The Philadelphia Flyers are surprising many on the ice this season as they have entered the All-Star break with a 25-19-6 record, good for third in the Metropolitan Division. While you’d think the Flyers would be interested in buying ahead of the March 8th trade deadline, that’s not the case at all. General manager Daniel Briere is looking to do some wheeling and dealing. This includes listening to trade offers on veteran center Scott Laughton.
Darren Dreger of TSN was the first insider with the scoop. He had this to say on the matter: “The Center market is relatively thin. Hence, the @NHLFlyers are taking calls on Scott Laughton. They’re not eager to trade him but Danny Briere is gauging the interest.”
As Dreger points out, and especially after Elias Lindholm was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, the center NHL market is ultra-thin. It could be a very wise move for Briere to move Laughton and cash in on a substantial return.
The 29-year-old pivot has just five goals and 20 points in 50 games this season but is coming off a career season in 2022-23 where he put up 18 goals and 43 points. He is under contract for two more seasons at $3 million AAV. So too, he does not hold any trade protection and can be moved at will.
Buyer Beware or Good Trade Value on Scott Laughton?
While Laughton, over the years, has been known for being a hard-nosed forward who loves to play both sides of the puck and be effective in his own zone, that hasn’t been the case at all this season. His underlying numbers are quite worrisome and his 44.2% Corsi For rating at five-on-five ranks him second-last on the Flyers. He’s also winning under 50% of his faceoffs, sitting at 49.7% entering the break.
The Flyers have been busy of late, signing Ryan Poehling and Owen Tippett to multi-year extensions, so there’s no doubt the core is shifting in Philly. It won’t be long until there’s a new leadership group created. That’s where Laughton has been so valuable for the franchise. He has the intangibles and characteristics to lead a team, be a voice in the room, and always play hard. He does all of this regardless of where the Flyers have been in the standings over the years. Laughton’s known as a character piece and a contending team could easily slot him into their third-line center role. They’d likely be very satisfied with the return.
The trade deadline is March 8, and it doesn’t matter if the Flyers are in a playoff position or not, look for Briere to continue his aggressive ways on the market. At this point, anything appears to be on the table, including moving on from a core player.
More must-reads: