Maple Leafs Scott Laughton Breaks His Silence on the Hit by Nikita Zadorov That Injured Him

Leafs pivot Scott Laughton is ready to get back into the lineup after not playing since November 8th against the Boston Bruins.

While the veteran forward is ready to turn the page and get back into the action, he also touched on the hit from Nikita Zadorov that has kept him out of the lineup with a suspected concussion.

While some considered Zadorov's hit to be high, Laughton told the media in Toronto on Thursday that, as far as he's concerned, it was a clean hit, and Zadorov's size advantage made all the difference.

He added that Zadorov never reached out to him following the hit, and Laughton is 100 percent fine with that. Laughton is a competitor, and would not want an opponent who did nothing wrong to reach out to apologize.

Zadorov has a reputation as a heavy hitter, and it's been well earned. He's a pest on the ice, and takes great pride in playing that role. His hit on Laughton was a hard one, but Laughton's take is correct. There was nothing illegal about it.

The game between the Maple Leafs and Bruins on November 8th was just Laughton's second of the season after he was injured blocking a shot during preseason play.

If there was ever a time that Toronto needed a player to step up in a time of need, it's now. Laughton has tons of potential to help this team. Hopefully he can find it on a line with Easton Cowan and Steve Lorentz. The trio did well together during the pre-season, so hopefully they can carry that success over into the regular season.