Scott Laughton is no stranger to seeing his name in trade rumors. The Philadelphia Flyers forward has been reportedly close to being traded, or has had been involved in a potential deal to get sent across the country, for years now. But according to the player himself, this year feels different.
On the morning of what could potentially be his last game playing for the team that drafted him 13 years ago and developed him into being a mainstay on this roster for over a decade, Laughton is feeling that a move could be a real possibility.
“I mean, I haven’t heard anything. I haven’t had any conversations. Pretty much status quo at this point. Yeah, with all the rumors and stuff, I think it feels maybe a little bit more real this year, and whatever happens, happens,” Laughton said.
From the player’s mouth himself, there has been no certain discussions with Flyers management about a trade and it’s all the same business. Now, Laughton doesn’t have any trade protection on his contract so the Flyers do not technically need to have a conversation with him about a move, but they have said countless times that they will “do right” by the player and we are doing the guesswork for that to mean that Laughton will know ahead of time where he could be traded to for him to set himself up more for the move.
And hours away from puck drop, Laughton is certainly thinking that this game against the Winnipeg Jets could be his last in the Orange and Black.
“It’s definitely popped into my head, yeah. It’s popped in there. I try and keep it out, but it’s hard not to think about,” Laughton said. “And I don’t know if anything will happen at this point. But yeah, you think about it. You think about what’s to come, and what the future may hold. I’ll try to keep it on the back burner for today. I think it’s been hard the last week or so — not getting in my own head, but kind of overthinking things. I know I make light of it, but it’s your life and your future. And with a young family here, it’s something you think about.”
There is reason to believe that a trade is much more of a possibility than in year’s past and that is clearly weighing on Laughton.
Laughton has been an integral part of the locker room culture for so long now that the Flyers were not willing to part ways with that. But now they have deemed that they can live without him involved. One reason. With the dwindling amount of available forwards on the market, the Flyers could really sell remarkably high on a player also having a good season. Two reasons. The Flyers are clearly still rebuilding and trading away a 30-year-old player is just what you do. Three reasons.
We won’t go on and annoy every one of you, but you get our point. The market is ripe for a move like this that could net Philadelphia a very solid return for a player that has a limited ceiling and probably won’t be here when this team is good again.
We’ll see what the hours leading up to 3:00 p.m. on Friday have in store for us.