After years of swirling rumors, it finally happened: the Philadelphia Flyers traded Scott Laughton–their heart-and-soul, veteran leader–at the trade deadline. He went to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin, and went on a long and rewarding playoff run th–
Sorry, was just informed that the Leafs lost another Game 7. Sorry, Scott, maybe next year.
While Laughton’s season may be defined by the highs and lows of his short tenure with the Leafs, he did play 60 games with the Flyers. In those games, Laughton did exactly what you’d expect him to do at this point in his career; it’s not flashy, but he is Mr. Consistent. Let’s get into it.
| Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | Shots on Goal | Shooting Percentage | Average Time On Ice |
| 60 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 21 | 105 | 10.5 | 15:06 |
Laughton’s production was pretty much in line with previous seasons; he’s not a high-skill player, but he is steady and can be trusted to put up at least 30 points over an 82-game season. His 10.5 shooting percentage was a smidge higher than his career average of 9.6, but he took fewer shots this year than in several seasons prior. Whether that was a quirk of the Flyers’ anemic offense or him being more deliberate in his chances isn’t clear, but he did exactly what he was asked to.
| Goals-For Percentage | Expected Goals-For Percentage | Corsi-For Percentage | High Danger Chances-For Percentage | PDO |
| 40.63 | 53.88 | 45.95 | 55.69 | 0.95 |
Like the rest of the Flyers, Laughton’s expected goals numbers were way better than his actual goals for. The discrepancy can once again be seen in the PDO: an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.72 and save percentage of .873 would sink even the best players. What really pops is Laughton’s 55.69 HDCF%, which was tops on the team among skaters with more than 300 minutes. He may not have pizzaz, but Laughton knows how to get to the net and create opportunities himself and his teammates.
| Points Per 60 | Shots Per 60 | Shot Attempts Per 60 | Expected Goals Per 60 |
| 1.8 | 7.26 | 13.71 | 2.57 |
Laughton’s expected goals per 60 are right where you’d want a third liner: sixth among Flyers forwards, though that jumps up to fourth if you only look at players with over 300 minutes. He was top five among forwards in shots per 60, and top three in shot attempts; Laughton is a good player but, as we’ve known most of his career, the offensive flash he had as a young prospect wasn’t going to translate to the NHL, which is why his raw box scores aren’t all that impressive. Still, his points per 60 was one of the better marks on the team–which goes to show how poor the Flyers’ offense was.
Three Questions
Did he live up to expectations?
You can set your watch to a Scott Laughton season, so yes, he did live up to expectations. He brought leadership, grit, PK chops, and everything else he’s respected for in the league. As much as it may’ve hurt in the moment, trading him at the deadline was the right decision.
What can we expect from him next season?
He’s not with the Flyers anymore, so it’s hard to say–but with the way the Leafs collapsed in the playoffs this season, who knows what’s going to happen in Toronto this summer. He had a couple bad games in Toronto, but stood out in several playoff games, where he looked like the only player on the team who cares. Hopefully, the Leafs can turn it around quickly enough for him to have another shot in the playoffs, but their is so up in the air.
How do we grade his 2024-25 season?
Even though he wore one on his sweater, it’s difficult to justify an A for Laughton considering he did what he always does. He wasn’t disappointing though, so a C isn’t appropriate either. We’ll split the difference and wish Scott Laughton happy trails wherever he ends up–a legitimate Stanley Cup run, if he’s lucky.
