Trade Talks Reportedly Intensifying Between Maple Leafs and Flyers

It's no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been searching for a third-line centre to round out their forward group.

They've tried in-house options like Max Domi and Pontus Holmberg to no avail but their worries might be over soon with trade talks intensifying with the Philadelphia Flyers, according to Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco, over pivot Scott Laughton.

The veteran forward Laughton has been a Maple Leafs trade target for several seasons running now. The Oakville, Ontario native would shore up their major weakness down the middle while also adding some additional snarl and grit to the roster.

Under John Tortorella, Laughton enjoyed career-seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24 where he combined for 31 goals, 82 points, 119 PIMs, 311 hits, and 113 blocked shots, while adding 15 shorthanded points.

This season hasn't been quite the same as he has just 10 goals and 25 points in 52 games to go along with a minus-13 rating. In fact, outside of an 11-game stretch in the middle of the season, Laughton has put up just 4 goals and 14 points in the other 42 games.

The interest in acquiring Laughton has a lot to do with his intangibles as much as his overall play. He's a player who does everything and he could very well be a strong asset for a team aspiring to win a championship.

The caveat has always been general manager Daniel Briere's asking price as he wants a first round pick in exchange for Laughton. The Flyers have held a wait-and-see approach with Laughton and with one year remaining on his contract, they don't seem to be in too much of a rush.

However, trading Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost opened the door wide open for their rebuilding plans and with trade talks intensifying once more, perhaps the Maple Leafs can find a way to extract the veteran at a cheaper cost.

At just $3 million AAV until the end of the 2025-26 season, the Maple Leafs could still look to acquire another piece to shore up their roster. Nevertheless, Laughton is exactly the type of player that Brad Treliving covets and that Craig Berube would love to be able to deploy.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out with plenty of other teams in trade talks with the Flyers, including the Winnipeg Jets.