Leafs fans nervous about Scott Laughton's recent play

Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Scott Laughton (24) skates with the puck against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Leafs fans nervous as Scott Laughton draws comparisons to former scapegoat

Originally posted on Hockey Patrol | By Chris Gerics | Last updated Mar 23, 2025 9:04 PM ET

Scott Laughton hasn't been his best since coming over at the trade deadline and is starting to get comparisons to a former player in a very worrying sign.

Expected to be the anchor of Toronto's third line, Scott Laughton has found himself demoted to the fourth line, pointless, and lacking the impact the Maple Leafs need from him now and in the playoffs.

It's still a bit early, but after more than a handful of games, the feedback so far has been less than positive.

Unfortunately for Laughton, he's starting to get some pretty rough comparisons, especially to one former forward who ended up being a dismal failure.

Scott Laughton given short leash with Maple Leafs fans

It's hard to say for certain that Laughton is this iteration of Alex Kerfoot, however, the optics at first glance aren't great.

Both were added to the club to bring grit, toughness and a bit of an edge to the team, but that's yet to happen with Laughton and it never happened with Kerfoot.

Though a lot of the heat on Kerfoot could be due to the frustration over losing Nazem Kadri and not getting an equal-level player in return, the locker room turmoil and disagreements between management and Kadri necessitated a deal.

In his time with the Maple Leafs, Kerfoot had 133 points in 285 games including a 51-point campaign in 2021-22. He didn't do much in the playoffs which also may have drawn the ire of fans, but his play when here at least production-wise was very respectable.

If Laughton can use the next dozen games to showcase what he can do offensively and start to bring a bit more defense, then the comparisons to Kerfoot should settle down.

They may need to experiment and try him on the wing, as he seems to be a bit more comfortable there given how much of it he played in Philadelphia, so that could be the key to unlocking things.

But if they don't, and Laughton continues to bring back diminishing returns?

Don't expect the comparisons to failed Leafs acquisitions to stop anytime soon.

This article first appeared on Hockey Patrol and was syndicated with permission.

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