Why now is the best time for Flyers to trade Scott Laughton

Scott Laughton has been in trade rumors for what seems like forever now. The Philadelphia Flyers forward always has his name thrown around as a depth forward option at the deadline but Danny Briere & Co. have set a high price for the locker room leader.

But now feels like the right time to pull the trigger on a Laughton trade.

Laughton is under contract through next season with a cap hit of $3 million. The 30-year-old forward is having one of his best seasons in a while and teams are taking notice.

Everything is coming together for this to be the right time to trade Laughton.

Thinning Center Market

If you take a look at any of the many NHL trade boards around the interwebs, Laughton is one of just a few centers available at this year\'s deadline.

Brock Nelson is the top center available if the Islanders decide to move him, but he\'s in a different category from Laughton. Nelson already has 20 goals this year and would be a rental for whichever team lands him. He\'s more of a middle-six center while Laughton is a bottom-six option.

Sure, Nelson may end up playing on the third line for some team and Laughton could hold his own in that spot, but the difference in talent and contract status is clear.

Another top option who could be available is Brayden Schenn. However, the Blues appear to want to keep the centerman signed for the next three seasons as they\'re only a few points out of a playoff spot.

Outside of Nelson, another rental option is Ryan Donato. The Blackhawks center is having a decent year in Chicago and carries a very manageable $2 million cap hit. There\'s a chance that Chicago re-signs Donato, but he could be a solid consolation prize for whoever misses out on Laughton.

Besides that, you\'re looking at guys like Dylan Cozens, Yanni Gourde (who is reportedly going to Tampa Bay along with Oliver Bjorkstrand for two first-round picks), Michael McCarron, and Nick Bjugstad. It\'s not a very robust market for teams looking to add a center this year.

Eight Teams Interested

It feels like every day there are reports of another team being interested in Scott Laughton. Darren Dreger reported on Tuesday that as many as eight teams are now swirling around the Flyers centerman and first-round picks are already in play.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets were two of the first teams linked to Laughton, and I ultimately believe one of them will be where he lands, but we\'ve seen teams like the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, and Ottawa Senators also been mentioned in recent weeks.

And with the recently reported trade of Gourde and Bjorkstrand to the Lightning with two first-round picks going the other way, the price should keep going up for Laughton. The supply is shrinking and the demand is growing. You don\'t have to be an economist to know what that means.

Flyers Lose Leverage in Offseason

If the Flyers decide to keep Laughton for the rest of the season, an offseason deal may not be as easy. Laughton will then be entering the last year of his contract so teams would get him for one playoff run instead of two.

While there may be more viable landing spots for Laughton in the summer when teams are more open to revamping their rosters, there are also more players available.

His $3 million cap hit and reputation will still draw some interest from around the league, but teams may decide that they can get someone just as good as Laughton in free agency without having to part with a first-round pick (or any picks).

Right now there are a handful of desperate general managers looking to add the final piece to the puzzle entering the playoffs. The Maple Leafs have a few key free agents this summer as do other teams in on Laughton. They might feel like this is their last chance to go all-in, especially with the Eastern Conference wide open this season.

Opens up Roster Spot in Rebuild

The biggest thing that the Flyers risk losing with Laughton is his off-ice presence. He\'s one of their locker room leaders and is heralded as a great glue guy around the league.

But Laughton\'s on-ice production would be easier to replace.

He is having a good bounceback season with the Flyers, but replacing Laughton with any of the AHLers who have had cups of coffee with the team this year wouldn\'t bring things down too much. And even if it does, it doesn\'t particularly matter this season with just 20 games left and the Flyers\' playoff chances circling the drain.

Perhaps more importantly, there is a lineup spot open heading into training camp. The Flyers have several prospects who might be ready to knock on that door for a lineup spot as soon as next season.

Sean Couturier, Noah Cates, and Ryan Poehling likely aren\'t going anywhere, and Jett Luchanko is penciled in as one of the team\'s centers next season. If Briere does go big game hunting this summer, there may be a logjam of middle-to-bottom-six forwards fighting for playing time and you don\'t necessarily want Laughton keeping a fast-rising prospect out of the lineup.

As far as the off-ice stuff is concerned, it is worth noting that the team hasn\'t missed a beat after trading away two of the more-liked guys in the room in Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost. And at this point in the rebuild, the culture should be able to sustain itself without Laughton around.

This isn\'t a situation where Briere has to trade Laughton before Friday\'s 3 p.m. deadline, but it certainly seems like this is the best time to do so.

Talking Points