John Tortorella, the head coach, discussed the NHL trade deadline on March 8 and how the Flyers shouldn’t make “too emotional” choices.
Scott Laughton is all too familiar with this season.
His NHL career has been spent with the Flyers, having begun more than 11 years ago when he was just 18 years old.
However, that does not imply that it was never in danger of coming to an end and beginning anew elsewhere.
Then-general manager Chuck Fletcher awoke on the morning of the 2021 NHL trade deadline unaware of whether the Flyers would trade Laughton to a another team or offer him a contract extension. Re-signing Laughton to a five-year, $15 million contract, the Flyers turned off “a lot of interest” from other teams.
With 22 days until the 2024 deadline, rumours about Laughton are circulating once more.
“It weighs on you a little bit, especially probably my wife [Chloe] a little bit more so than me,” Laughton said on Wednesday. Here, you create a life, as well as some incredibly strong friendships and connections. You want to be involved in this, participate in the playoffs, and go on a brief run while you’re in our current situation.”
This season, the Flyers have taken the hockey world by surprise; this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. At 29-19-6 going into Thursday, they were only three victories shy of matching the record from the previous season (31-38-13). There are 28 games left.
For the first time since 1989–90 to 1993–94, when they went five straight seasons without making the playoffs, the Flyers entered this season having missed the postseason in three of those previous years. The Flyers, under the leadership of new full-time general manager Danny Briere and first-year president of hockey operations Keith Jones, openly announced their intention to rebuild in the summer after losing 139 games in their previous three seasons (81-107-32).
Although Briere claims that the organization’s future-focused goal hasn’t changed, the renovation appears to have happened more quickly than planned.
Thus, it wasn’t all that shocking when TSN’s Darren Dreger revealed on February 1 that the Flyers were accepting calls regarding Laughton. From day one, Briere has been receptive to new ideas and eager to “listen on everybody.”
For the first time since 1989–90 to 1993–94, when they went five straight seasons without making the playoffs, the Flyers entered this season having missed the postseason in three of those previous years. The Flyers, under the leadership of new full-time general manager Danny Briere and first-year president of hockey operations Keith Jones, openly announced their intention to rebuild in the summer after losing 139 games in their previous three seasons (81-107-32).
Although Briere claims that the organization’s future-focused goal hasn’t changed, the renovation appears to have happened more quickly than planned.
Thus, it wasn’t all that shocking when TSN’s Darren Dreger revealed on February 1 that the Flyers were accepting calls regarding Laughton. From day one, Briere has been receptive to new ideas and eager to “listen on everybody.”
John Tortorella was the Flyers’ head coach for the first time last season. He and Laughton were fast friends, and now he was the only Flyer wearing a letter on his jersey. Laughton continued to record career highs in minutes played (18:17), goals (18), assists (25), power play goals (five), and shorthanded goals (three).
According to Tortorella, “He’s an important guy,” on Wednesday. “People appreciate him. He is an airliner. The intangibles he brings are his caring nature. Additionally, I believe that he has an extremely positive disposition that makes him a great team player.
“He’s a significant individual, but our organization’s current state is what it is. That’s just the way things are. We’ll simply have to wait and watch over the following few weeks.”
When it comes to the Flyers having to keep to their strategy in the event that the front staff needs to make a difficult decision during the March 8 trade deadline, Tortorella has been forthright.
Tortorella stated, “It’s the phase of the process we’re in as a team.” “We cannot hunt for reasons to stop our process from going forward. We can’t be getting too attached since we still have a lot of work to do and a lot more of this team-building process to go. We must proceed if doing so is the greatest thing for our team’s future in terms of creating it correctly. We must. The boys are aware of it; we have discussed this in public with great candour. We must persevere with it.”
As of Thursday, Laughton has played in 54 games with seven goals and sixteen assists. The trade noise has increased, and he has cranked things on. Following the lengthy break, the Flyers have won four straight games. Laughton has two goals, an assist, seven shots, nine hits, and five blocked shots. He has also played a few minutes on the power play.
Laughton knows he can be more disciplined because he has committed a team-high 18 minor penalties this season. But it’s his playoff-caliber grit and aggression that sets him apart. The Flyers capitalise on those attributes. Despite playing four fewer minutes per game this season than last, he has shown them.
Tortorella has commended him for persevering despite his inconsistent minutes. However,
“I think it bothers you internally,” he said. “You obviously want to be out there getting an opportunity and playing in key situations. But there’s nothing I can do about it. Control what you can control, be a good teammate and go out there when you’re called upon. That’s what I’ve been doing and continue to go the same way as I’ve been going here after break.”
One would assume that in exchange for Laughton, the Flyers would want at least a first-round draft pick if they were to take potential suitors seriously. The 29-year-old is a popular member of the Flyers’ locker room and can play both centre and winger on special teams.
Tortorella remarked, “I think Laughts wants to play.” “This year, he has seen some decrease in ice time, some inconsistency in his play, and a slight improvement in his game. He scored a great goal the other night on the power play, so I believe he’s enjoying the time he’s getting to spend on it. I believe he is interested in it.”
Laughton has developed an intense emotional attachment to the company despite its ups and downs.
It must be something you’re doing well if you’re the talk of the town. It should make you feel incredibly happy, Tortorella remarked. “None of the guys that have kind of been out there with our team, maybe being looked at, want to go, in my opinion—I don’t want to speak for them.
“I am aware that Jonesy, Danny, and I have no intention of moving them. We aren’t proactively stating, “This is him.” However, we must proceed if it proves to be the most beneficial for this team’s development. I have therefore made an effort to be as open and honest as I can with our staff because I believe they should be respected; I don’t think they
