Silly season is officially in swing. TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger reported Thursday afternoon that the Philadelphia Flyers are taking calls on forward Scott Laughton.
Dreger added that the Flyers are not jumping at the possibility, but general manager Danny Briere is gauging interest.
The Center market is relatively thin. Hence, the @NHLFlyers are taking calls on Scott Laughton,” Dreger wrote. “They’re not eager to trade him but Danny Briere is gauging the interest.”
Laughton, 29, was also the subject of trade rumors this summer. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman previously reported that the Flyers veteran was the center of talks for teams around the combine ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft.
“I heard at the combine one of the names that was probably mentioned the most was Scott Laughton,” Friedman had said. “He’s signed for three more years at $3 million a season, he’s a really good player; teams are always looking for centers. I think the Flyers believe this, look: they’re turning their team over, they’re going to have a lot of young players; you need good veterans around them. In a perfect world, I think they’d like to keep Laughton, but if they get the right price, they’ll consider [a trade].”
The Flyers might have seen the return from Wednesday night’s Elias Lindholm trade and decided to explore selling in the center market for themselves. It’s worth noting that Briere would be selling low on Laughton; the center has just five goals and 15 assists in 50 games, compared to the 18, 25, and 43 he had in 82 games last year, respectively. On the flip side, Laughton does play on both special teams units, carries some versatility, and has term at a reasonable cap hit.
We’ll be on the lookout for more movement on this front, but it’s no surprise the Flyers are exploring this possibility again given how ravenous the center market is.
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