Now that Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee are gone, and Rasmus Ristolainen seems more likely to stay than get dealt, all eyes are on Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton ahead of next Friday’s trade deadline.
The versatile 30-year-old is drawing interest. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the price to acquire Laughton is a first-round pick, or the prospect equivalent of one.
The Flyers don’t want to part with Laughton, a depth contributor and alternate captain, and they aren’t actively shopping him. But, of course, they have to listen if teams call, considering where they are in their rebuild. And, they’re more comfortable with the dressing room now than they were two years ago before they made a handful of trades, shipping out players they didn’t believe fit in that regard. That’s something that coach John Tortorella reminded everyone of on Wednesday in a candid, 12-minute presser with the local media.
“I think we’ve defined (the culture),” Tortorella said. “I think we’ve been very transparent about that. It sucks, but (GM Daniel Briere) — and I don’t want to speak for Danny — but, I know he’s listening. He has to. Because we have to get better. You just don’t say, ‘OK, he’s a great guy in the room.’ If there’s a chance we get better in certain situations, you have to do things.”
Still, while I can’t specifically confirm Dreger’s report, I have been told from multiple team sources that the Flyers are still weary of removing Laughton from the dressing room. Consequently, the price is high. The veteran forward is still perhaps the most respected, beloved player among his teammates. One team source used words like “dangerous” and “scary” when pondering how a Laughton departure could affect the group, particularly on the heels of the Frost-Farabee deal.
“Laughty means a lot to every guy in here,” Nick Seeler said on Wednesday. “Ever since I came here he’s been one of those guys you can rely on, on and off the ice, for anything. … A Flyer, through and through.”
No one in the organization disputes that the Flyers need to procure more talent. But they also want to be careful not to upend the cultural foundation they prioritized after Briere and Keith Jones took over, and that they’re still paying for through next season in the form of dead salary-cap money.
Something else to keep in mind — Briere and Jones have placed an importance on ensuring that Philadelphia becomes a desirable destination again, something that went sideways after the passing of former owner Ed Snider in 2016. Considering Laughton’s place in the team hierarchy, my assumption is they aren’t going to send him anywhere that he doesn’t sign off on. Toronto still makes the most sense to me, as it’s the hometown of him and and his wife, and the family recently endured a personal tragedy. That also makes other reported suitors like Winnipeg, for example, much less likely.
In other words, a Laughton deal is far from a sure thing, particularly if the Maple Leafs end up going in a different direction.
On Wednesday, Laughton said: “I understand it’s a business and Danny and Jonesy (have) got to do what’s best for the group in the future. (I’m) trying to help this team win and make a little push here. There’s a week left. See what happens.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko didn’t get dealt from his OHL team, the Guelph Storm. But since he didn’t — and if the last-place Storm miss the playoffs — Luchanko is likely to rejoin the organization after their regular season concludes on March 23.
Luchanko played four scoreless games with the Flyers early in the 2024-25 season, so he could only play five more before he would burn off the first year of his contract. That Flyers absolutely want to avoid that, particularly since they may want him to spend another season in juniors in 2025-26.
The 10-game threshold wouldn’t apply if he were assigned to AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. If the Flyers somehow work their way back into the playoff chase, they’d be more open to keeping Luchanko on the NHL roster if they believe he could help. But if they don’t, expect Luchanko to play out the season with Lehigh Valley.
Other prospects who could see time with the Phantoms if their seasons end in time are goalie Carson Bjarnason, with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and Alex Bump, in his sophomore season at Western Michigan. Bump, a left wing with good size, isn’t signed yet, but that discussion is likely to happen after his season concludes.
Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey, both with the London Knights, are less likely to join the Phantoms this season, as the Knights are in first place in their division and look primed for a long playoff run.
There were some eyebrows raised when Aleksei Kolosov didn’t join the Phantoms during the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Kolosov hasn’t played an NHL game since Jan. 2, and struggled in a three-game stint with the Phantoms later that month, too.
The primary reason, though, was paperwork. Kolosov had to physically return to Belarus in order to renew his passport, something that apparently couldn’t be done without a flight home.
Whether he remains on the NHL roster for the duration for the season is still up in the air. Keep an eye on what the team does with him before next Friday’s deadline — my understanding is that if he remains on the Flyers’ roster, they’ll probably keep him on the team for most, if not all of the season. If he gets sent down, even if it’s just a paper transaction, that will leave open the possibility that he could still play more games with the Phantoms. The reason is the Flyers want to avoid having to recall Kolosov as one of their four permitted AHL post-deadline recalls in the event they need another goalie, and if current No. 2 Ivan Fedotov struggles.
Make no mistake, the Flyers know none of this is good for Kolosov’s development. What’s worth asking, though, is whether Kolosov himself realizes that. Despite serving as the No. 3, he rarely spends extra time on the ice after practice, often hitting the showers while other young players remain. It was odd to see him come off early in each of the Flyers’ three practices immediately coming out of the 4 Nations break, for example, despite not getting many reps behind Fedotov and Samuel Ersson.
There’s still no timeframe for a decision on the Ryan Johansen grievance. Although the $4 million cap hit that the Flyers are responsible for is, as of now, off the books, the club has to at least be prepared for it to go back on if they lose the case. It’s possible, if not likely, that the decision won’t come until after the trade deadline.
Finally, Travis Konecny’s eight-year contract extension doesn’t kick in until next season. I asked him on Wednesday just how much he’s looking forward to the time that the Flyers become trade-deadline buyers rather than sellers.
“That will be a lot of fun,” Konecny said. “You have new guys coming in, making new friendships instead of losing guys that you’re pretty close with. … Very excited for when that time comes.”
As for this year’s deadline and the potential that brings for more change, Konecny said: “I think you’ve just to remember that we’re still in the process of getting better. Things happen. If something good comes up, I’m sure they’re going to evaluate it, and see if it’s the right fit for our team.”
(Photo of Scott Laughton: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
