Flyers gauging trade interest in Scott Laughton

The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly gauging interest in centerman Scott Laughton on the trade market, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Dreger shares that, while Philadelphia would be hesitant to move Laughton, they’re willing to hear offers with the market for centerman now largely dried up. Only three centermen remain in TSN’s Trade Bait series – Adam Henrique, Sean Monahan, and Jack Roslovic – after Elias Lindholm was moved to the Vancouver Canucks.

Teams were reportedly offering late first-round picks for Laughton last summer, though Philadelphia preferred to hang onto the depth centerman. The team drafted Laughton 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and awarded him his NHL debut in the very next season. He’s played in every season since, totaling 569 games and 219 points across 11 years with the Flyers, establishing himself as a focal piece of the team’s bottom-six forwards and penalty-killing units. He has even earned a power-play role over the last few seasons, helping him reach a career-high 43 points in 78 games last season. That scoring production hasn’t continued into this year – with Laughton boasting just 20 points through 50 games, his lowest point-per-game pace since the 2020-21 season.

Still, a bottom-of-the-lineup centerman who can play on both special teams carries undeniable value. Laughton’s contract makes him even more valuable, with the 29-year-old sitting at a $3M cap hit over the next three seasons – the second-cheapest among any centermen on TSN’s trade board and the only one with a contract beyond this season. A first-round pick is likely the starting bid in any Laughton trade discussions, though it may take a lot more to get Philadelphia to part with the 500-game veteran of the club.