NHL News

Maple Leafs Linked in Long-Shot Roster Players Trade with Flyers

One Toronto-based scribe has linked the Maple Leafs to Scott Laughton in a trade with the Flyers. How likely is a deal like this?

by
Jim Parsons
January 13, 2025

While he’s not sure it will be this season, James Mirtle of The Athletic likes Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton as a match for the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Mirtle admits it’s not the obvious fit –seeing as Laughton is a winger and not a natural center — there are plenty of reasons the Maple Leafs might go after Laughton ahead of the trade deadline. And, they might be willing to give up roster players to make the deal.

Scott Laughton trade Maple Leafs — Scott Laughton a trade target for the Maple Leafs?

Mirtle writes:

“With the Leafs anxious to add more talent up front, especially down the middle, Laughton’s versatility, feistiness and grit make him a perfect fit for what Brad Treliving and Craig Berube are trying to build.”

Mirtle writes that Laughton can play center, and they would move Max Domi over to the wing. Laughton can be moved up and down, in and out of a scoring or depth role, and his reasonable $3 million cap hit is important for the Maple Leafs this season and next.

Who Would the Maple Leafs Move to Make This Deal?

Mirtle suggests that the Leafs would send Nick Robertson and Ryan Reaves out and might have to move Conor Timmins for a cheaper reserve defenceman to make a deal work. He’s not necessarily suggesting these players all go to the Flyers in a Laughton deal, but they would need to go.

Fellow Athletic writer Kevin Kurz says the Flyers aren’t keen on moving their alternate captain, and he doesn’t see a trade happening. That’s not great news for the Maple Leafs. Neither is the fact Kurz sets the Flyers’ asking price well above a late first-round pick. As Mirtle points out, the Maple Leafs don’t even have a first to offer for 2025.

Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast that there has been some pushback about how closed off the Flyers are to trading Laughton. If the Flyers get a first-rounder, they might be willing to move him.

Mirtle likes Laughton, but he’s not sure it will be a realistic trade to make, at least not right now. He writes, “Toronto is likely going to have to wait until he’s a rental next season, or make a play for him as a UFA in 2026, in order to make him a Leaf.”

Next: Canucks Can’t Repeat Old Trade Mistakes Involving Star Players