One Leafs Dark Horse Could Surprise a Lot of People in 2025-26 and Nobody is Talking About Him
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
There's a dark horse that may emerge as a real threat for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season and not enough people are talking about him.
It's easy to get caught up in the chaos during the early stages of the summer when trades are being completed, UFAs are signing with new teams, and young RFAs, such as Matthew Knies, are signing their first big ticket contracts.
For the Maple Leafs, the summer has been a busy one, with GM Brad Treliving pulling off a few nice trades, including the one for former Utah Mammoth forward Matias Maccelli, with the Leafs sending just a conditional 3rd-round pick in the deal.
Another player for mid-round pick swap that the Maple Leafs had completed brought former Leafs draft pick Dakota Joshua back from Vancouver to the city where it all started for him after originally being drafted by Toronto back in 2014.
There's also Maple Leafs hopeful Easton Cowan to consider, so while there's a lot to talk about in Toronto, it's easy to forget about Scott Laughton.
Laughton came to Toronto from the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2024-25 NHL Trade Deadline and had a very rough first few weeks in Toronto before really starting to come out of his shell closer to the postseason.
It's easy to look at Laughton's 2 goals and 4 points in 20 games and dismiss him as just another depth player. However, Laughton is anything but just another 3rd or 4th liner.
Laughton has 7 seasons with double digits in the goals column, including an 18-goal, 43-point showing in 2022-23. That was on a Flyers team that finished 2nd-last in the Metropolitan Division and 26th in the NHL.
Most assume that Laughton is destined for a 4th line centre role in Toronto next season, but it's still entirely possible that Craig Berube sticks him on the wing during training camp. If that were to occur, Laughton could see minutes a little higher in the lineup with slightly more ice time available to him.
If that were to occur, and if he were to see some ice time with some skilled players, potentially in the top-6, we could see Laughton reach a new career best in 2025-26.
Of course, if the Leafs do go out and find a new top-6 forward on the trade market, this is all moot, and Laughton will once again reside in the bottom six. However, there is still some potential for the 31-year-old to surprise a lot of people next season either way.
