Kings To Wait Until Summer To Discuss Scott Laughton Extension
The Los Angeles Kings are in no rush to cement Scott Laughton into their lineup. The team will wait until the summer to talk about extending Laughton per Mayor’s Manor. Los Angeles acquired Laughton before the Trade Deadline in exchange for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that could become a second-round pick if the Kings make the playoffs.
Laughton fell to a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs this season. He only racked up eight goals and 12 points in 43 games with Toronto, while averaging 13:40 in ice time. Laughton has made up for low scoring with a 56.7 faceoff percentage and 78 hits. Those marks ranked third and fourth on the offense respectively. But a quiet season hasn’t meant a bad season for Laughton. He was one of Toronto’s most impactful penalty-killers, only allowing eight goals-against, second-fewest among the Maple Leafs’ routine penalty-killing units behind Matthew Knies (six goals-against).
Laughton was once a locked-in piece of the Philadelphia Flyers’ middle-six. He was a reliable, two-way center and served as one of the club’s alternate captain from 2022 to 2025. Laughton brings a spark of reliable, depth impact that could benefit a Kings lineup recently gutted by injuries to Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko.
The Kings will get a chance to test out that impact with 21 games left in the regular season. Laughton should step into Los Angeles’ third-line center role – a boost over his deployment in Toronto – where he will likely anchor a rotation of wingers. The Kings currently have newcomer Mathieu Joseph and rookie Jared Wright in bottom-six roles, but Laughton could soon be flanked by Kenny Connors, Trevor Moore, Jeff Malott, or another AHL call-up. His ability to support a flux of partners could go far in proving Laughton’s ability to anchor the Kings’ bottom-six through the next few seasons.
Los Angeles carried $16.77MM in projected cap space through the Trade Deadline and will only become richer when Anze Kopitar‘s $7MM cap hit comes off of the books this summer. The Kings will have all of the funds that they need to re-sign Laughton to a reasonable deal after his current five-year, $15MM contract comes to a close. A new deal for the 31 year old could be in the realm of two or three seasons and between $2MM and $3MM. If the Kings opt not to keep Laughton around, he would become a popular bit of veteran depth on a thin center market this summer.
Kings To Acquire Scott Laughton From Maple Leafs
The Kings have acquired center Scott Laughton from the Maple Leafs in exchange for a third-round pick, John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor reports. The selection will upgrade to a second-round choice if L.A. comes from behind to make the playoffs, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. The draft pick will be in 2026, whether it’s in the second or third round, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Los Angeles, still only three points out of a playoff spot, has toed the line between selling and buying over the last 24 hours. They’ve made two moves of each, trading away Warren Foegele and Corey Perry while signing Mathieu Joseph and now acquiring Laughton, a pending UFA who will cost $1.5MM down the stretch. In doing so, they’ve sent away a third-rounder but netted a second-rounder each for Foegele and Perry while upgrading 2026 third-rounders in a pick swap with Ottawa in the Foegele deal.
After giving up a first-rounder and forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin to land Laughton from the Flyers with 50% retention at last year’s deadline, the Leafs turn around and sell him at a loss here. With Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and a combo of Max Domi and Nicolas Roy ahead of him on the depth chart at center, he never held anything more than a fourth-line role for the Leafs. After getting top-nine minutes for a stretch in Philadelphia, he didn’t put up the kind of offensive production Toronto hoped for. He ends his tenure in the GTA with a 10-6–16 scoring line in 63 games with a -3 rating.
The Kings, in need of centers now and for next season, likely saw value in trying to land Laughton now – both to aid with their outside chance at the playoffs and to give them extra time to work out an extension if they were set to pursue him in free agency this summer anyway. A well-regarded defensive piece, he does excel in the faceoff dot, winning 56.7% of them this season. He didn’t fare so well in the possession department in heavy defensive deployment for the Leafs, though, only controlling 40.5% of shot attempts and 39.9% of expected goals at 5-on-5. Those should improve if he’s not stressed so heavily in D-zone starts in L.A.
Laughton could factor in as the Kings’ third-line center to start while Quinton Byfield works his way back from an upper-body injury. They’re currently running 23-year-old rookie Kenny Connors, with all of two games of NHL experience under his belt, in the 3C slot ahead of Samuel Helenius. With top-line fixture Anže Kopitar in the final few weeks of his NHL career, the Kings were anticipated to get stretched thin down the middle next season anyway, so they’ll likely hope to reach a deal with Laughton to fortify their bottom-six depth for the next couple of years.
East Notes: Laughton, Capitals, Halliday
While pending unrestricted free agent center Scott Laughton has made it known that he’d like to stay with the Maple Leafs, Chris Johnston reported in a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that the veteran likely won’t get his wish. At this point, it appears that there have yet to be any substantive discussions about Laughton extending his time in Toronto and with the demand for middlemen being quite high, a trade remains the likeliest outcome. With Philadelphia covering half of Laughton’s contract, his remaining $1.5MM cap charge is certainly affordable which should have the Maple Leafs in a strong position to land a strong return, even if it’s not quite as strong as the one they gave up to get him this time last year, headlined by a first-round pick.
Elsewhere in the East:
- While the Capitals have been sellers thus far, having moved veterans Nic Dowd and John Carlson, it appears they’re trying to be buyers as well. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that they showed interest in acquiring Conor Garland from Vancouver and that they are looking to add a piece before today’s 2 PM CT deadline. Cap space isn’t an issue for Washington as PuckPedia pegs them with an ability to add more than $26MM in contracts. The Caps find themselves four points out of the last Wild Card spot in the East so a mixed approach makes some sense if GM Chris Patrick feels his group could still get back into the mix.
- League executives have told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that center Stephen Halliday is someone to keep an eye on before the deadline. The 23-year-old has been fairly productive in limited minutes for the Senators, notching four goals and seven assists in 28 games despite barely averaging eight minutes a night of playing time. Waiver-eligible for the first time next season, Halliday is the type of player that rebuilding teams will often want to take a longer look at so if Ottawa can swing a move to add another piece before the deadline, he’s certainly a candidate to be part of the return.
Maple Leafs Scratch Multiple Players
The writing is on the wall for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Firmly shifting their eyes toward selling, the Maple Leafs announced they had scratched Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann ahead of the trade deadline. The term they used in their announcement was “roster-management purposes.”
Although no deal is close on any of the trio, it’s the first indication that Toronto recognizes that the 2025-26 season is lost. The Maple Leafs are 0-3-1 since the Olympics, being outscored by 10. They have fallen nine points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Assuming they finish outside of a playoff spot, it’ll be the first time in a decade that the Maple Leafs have failed to qualify for the postseason. The biggest looming issue is that Toronto is projected to be without its first-round pick in the upcoming draft. The selection was moved to the Boston Bruins last season in the Brandon Carlo trade, but is top-five protected. As of right now, the Maple Leafs are projected to have the 11th overall pick, which would be of immense value to Boston.
All three of tonight’s scratches have been mentioned in trade rumors of late.
Defenseman Ekman-Larsson is in the second year of a four-year, $14MM contract. He’s been a solid top-four option for the Maple Leafs, scoring 12 goals and 64 points in 138 games, averaging 20:57 of ice time. Still, despite adding some physicality, Ekman-Larsson has seen his possession and defensive metrics drop mildly since joining Toronto.
According to The Fourth Period, the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Utah Mammoth are interested in Ekman-Larsson. After acquiring Tyler Myers from the Vancouver Canucks earlier today, the Stars’ reported interest may have evaporated.
Meanwhile, Laughton and McMann are both expiring assets that have the flexibility to play up and down any team’s lineup. Laughton’s scoring output has dissipated throughout his first full year in Toronto, but he remains quite responsible in the defensive zone and has a 56.7% faceoff percentage this season. The Maple Leafs acquired Laughton at the last deadline for Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick.
McMann would likely have the most trade value of the group. He has scored 19 goals and 32 points in 60 games this year and is on an incredibly affordable $1.35MM salary. Toronto should have no shortage of phone calls on the pending unrestricted free agent over the next few days. Still, it’s important to remember that Toronto is attempting to sign McMann to a multi-year extension if the price is right.
Maple Leafs Activate Scott Laughton, Place Nicolas Roy On IR
The Maple Leafs have activated Scott Laughton from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets, David Alter of The Hockey News reports. The team placed center Nicolas Roy on IR in a corresponding move to open up a roster spot.
Laughton, 31, returns from his second injury absence of the season. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8, when he sustained an upper-body injury against the Bruins in just his second game back in the lineup after a lower-body injury he suffered during the preseason had him out of the lineup for nearly a month to begin the campaign. In 17:10 of total ice time against Boston and Utah three days prior, Laughton recorded a -2 rating, two shot attempts, and seven hits while going 9-for-14 on faceoffs (64.3%).
As Toronto contends with a long list of injuries, it’ll be looking to a 13-year veteran in Laughton to help stabilize its bottom-six forward group. According to TSN’s Mark Masters, Laughton will center the Leafs’ third line in his return between Steven Lorentz and rookie Easton Cowan. That trio was paired together throughout the preseason, and until Laughton sustained his injury late in camp, most thought it would start the year as Toronto’s fourth line. They’ll be getting their first look during the regular season tonight after Max Domi took Cowan’s spot on the right wing during his previous brief stint in the lineup, as Cowan was assigned to AHL Toronto to make room for Laughton rejoining the active roster last time around.
Laughton, a Toronto-area native, is in his first full season in the blue and white after being picked up at last season’s trade deadline from the Flyers, who’d drafted him No. 20 overall back in 2012. While brought in primarily as a two-way conscience for the bottom six, Laughton had routinely been a 30-to-40-point producer over the last several years in Philadelphia. That hasn’t been the case in Toronto, where the 6’1″ pivot has just two goals and four assists for six points in 35 combined regular-season and playoff games since his acquisition. With Roy, Matthew Knies, and Auston Matthews all unavailable, they need more offense out of him to help revitalize an offense that’s been limited to three goals or fewer in four straight.
Roy’s IR placement is retroactive to his last appearance on Nov. 15, so he’s only been ruled out of tonight’s game and will be eligible to return Saturday against the Canadiens. The 6’4″ center sat out Tuesday’s win over the Blues with an upper-body injury after logging a season-high 19:45 of ice time against Chicago three days prior. Acquired from the Golden Knights in the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade over the summer, Roy has struggled to produce in a third-line role and has just one goal and four points through his first 19 appearances as a Leaf.
Auston Matthews Out Roughly One Week, Anthony Stolarz Day-To-Day
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews avoided a serious lower-body injury when he left Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins following a heavy hit from Nikita Zadorov. He’s been given a day-to-day designation but has been ruled out for tonight’s contest against the Kings with another absence or two expected after that, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Starting goalie Anthony Stolarz also left that contest with an upper-body issue and has also landed a day-to-day designation and won’t play against the Kings, per TSN’s Mark Masters, but hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday against the Blackhawks. With backup Joseph Woll still working his way back to playing shape in the minors on a conditioning stint, Toronto announced they’ve recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to backup third-stringer Dennis Hildeby tonight. Center Scott Laughton was placed on injured reserve in the corresponding move.
The injury is another speed bump in what’s been another slow start from Matthews. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has seen his chance generation numbers drop significantly since his generational 69-goal season in 2023-24. In 17 appearances this season, he’s managed nine goals and 14 points. That’s a better pace than last year’s extreme fall-off that only saw him tally 33 markers in 67 appearances, but it’s still well below his career-average pace of 0.63 goals per game.
Luckily for the Leafs, their other stars have more than picked up the slack and helped them stay somewhat afloat at .500 despite faltering defense and goaltending. Matthew Knies and John Tavares are both flirting with 100-point paces early on, while William Nylander sits sixth in league scoring with 24 points despite missing three games with a lower-body issue.
But while Matthews was still one of the league’s most dominant two-way centers during last year’s scoring slump, the same can’t be said in the early going in 2025-26. He’s winning a career-best 59% of his faceoffs, but his possession metrics have faltered. The Leafs are only controlling 47.5% of shot attempts and 48% of expected goals with Matthews on the ice at even strength, the first time in his 10-year career that either number has been below 50%.
Nonetheless, Tavares’ resurgence, Nylander’s dominance, and Knies’ continued breakout should help the Leafs weather the storm for a few days. They’re expected to load up the top line with those three, at least for tonight, per Masters.
As for Stolarz, a reset – injury-related or not – is needed. The career elite backup/tandem option has been overtaxed with Woll unavailable, and his numbers have plummeted as a result. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances this season, Stolarz’s .884 SV% ranks 22nd out of 25 names, and his -5.3 goals saved above expected rank 23rd, per MoneyPuck.
Tonight will thus mark Hildeby’s fourth appearance in the last six days. He entered in relief of Stolarz against Boston twice, first on Nov. 8 and then on Tuesday, while starting in a 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 9. Despite his 0-2-0 record, he’s been the best goalie Toronto’s had to offer this season in his limited sample. He’s logged a .909 SV% and 3.74 GAA on 88 shots faced, good for 2.1 goals saved above expected behind the Leafs’ porous defense. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of what he showed in last year’s limited NHL stint, when he had a .872 mark in six showings with a 3-3-0 record.
If Akhtyamov is forced into action, it would be his NHL debut. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2020 and is now in his second season in North America. After a decent rookie showing for the Marlies last year, he’s taken a step back with a .894 SV% and 2.82 GAA in six games to start this year, but still has a 4-2-0 record.
Meanwhile, Laughton is on his second injury-related absence of the season. He missed the first 13 games of the year with a lower-body injury and sustained an upper-body issue in just his second game back against the Bruins. Since his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 8, he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game plus Saturday’s game against Chicago, but will be eligible to come off IR next Tuesday against the Blues.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Morning Notes: McKenna, Karlsson, Laughton
17-year-old Gavin McKenna is one of the top prospects in hockey and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. Currently playing NCAA hockey for the Penn State Nittany Lions, he’s gotten off to a productive start, scoring 14 points in 12 games. But even with that production, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has indicated that McKenna’s performances in college hockey thus far have some left NHL teams wanting more.
Wheeler reported yesterday that after McKenna’s Penn State dropped back-to-back games against Michigan State in East Lansing, “the gathering collection of scouts and hockey folks weren’t kind to” McKenna in their thoughts postgame. Wheeler reported that “multiple NHL scouts” commented to The Athletic on McKenna’s “work rate off the puck, a number of backchecks he appeared to give up on,” and perhaps most distressingly for McKenna’s draft stock, “an ongoing desire for more effort.” Wheeler stopped short of saying that McKenna’s status as 2026’s top prospect was truly under threat; he is still a point-per-game NCAA freshman, after all, and his incredible skill level is still evident. But Wheeler did note that “this college hockey season has revealed” that McKenna is right now “a flawed player” whose flaws were better masked when he was playing in, and dominating, the WHL.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Injury issues have once again surfaced for Vegas Golden Knights veteran William Karlsson, who left last night’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks with an injury. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger relayed word from Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy last night, who guessed that Karlsson would be out on a day-to-day basis, but did also note that they don’t know for sure the extent of his injury. Since Vegas is not on the ice today, the earliest an update on Karlsson’s status is likely to be released is Monday. Karlsson played in just 53 games last season due to injury and has seven points through 14 games in 2025-26.
- Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Scott Laughton left last night’s loss against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury after finding himself on the wrong end of a Nikita Zadorov body check. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media after the game, including The Hockey News’ David Alter, that the severity of Laughton’s injury is currently still being evaluated, but he did note that the player will miss the Maple Leafs’ game Sunday. Per TSN’s Mark Masters, Berube expressed frustration regarding the hit that injured Laughton, saying postgame “I thought it was a head shot.” Injuries have limited Laughton to just two games played this season, his first coming on Nov. 5.
Maple Leafs Activate Scott Laughton, Reassign Easton Cowan
5:00 p.m.: As expected, the Maple Leafs confirmed they’ve activated Laughton from the injured reserve. Additionally, the team shared that they’ve reassigned Cowan in a corresponding roster move. The 20-year-old scored one goal and four points while averaging 12:33 of ice time throughout his 10-game debut with Toronto.
11:39 a.m.: Maple Leafs center Scott Laughton will be activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s clash with the Mammoth, he told reporters (including Luke Fox of Sportsnet). Toronto does not have an open roster spot and will need to create one to activate him. That could mean an IR placement for Steven Lorentz, who has sat out two games with an upper-body injury, meaning his placement could be retroactive to Oct. 29. If he’s also available against Utah, the team could send down rookie Easton Cowan or Dakota Mermis. They could also waive either Sammy Blais or Calle Järnkrok, who are both projected scratches.
Laughton hasn’t had a chance to suit up in the regular season. The 31-year-old anchored Toronto’s fourth line during the preseason, often flanked by Lorentz and Cowan, a combination most thought would stick but hasn’t gotten the chance to play together. He sustained a lower-body injury during a match late in camp and was ruled week-to-week, forcing him to start the season on IR.
Toronto paid a steep price to acquire Laughton from the Flyers at last season’s trade deadline, parting ways with winger Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional first-round pick in 2027. For that return, Philadelphia retained half of his remaining salary, which means the pending UFA only counts for $1.5MM against Toronto’s cap. That makes his underwhelming performance down the stretch last season more palatable if it’s a sign of things to come for the balance of 2025-26. The 12-year veteran only managed two goals and four points in 20 regular-season games for the Leafs before a two-assist performance in 13 playoff games.
Some of that can and should be attributed to a decrease in role. Laughton had been a top-nine fixture in Philadelphia for the past five-plus years but was immediately relegated to fourth-line and penalty killing duties upon arrival in Toronto. His ice time dropped from 15:06 per game with the Flyers to 13:06 per game with the Leafs, and his most common linemates last season were Lorentz and Järnkrok, who only combined for nine goals and 26 points themselves.
Nonetheless, scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Leafs this year. Their stars have held up their end of the bargain in the wake of Mitch Marner‘s departure, and the team’s 3.62 goals per game is third in the league. They’re allowing as much as they’re generating, though, in part due to underwhelming goaltending from Anthony Stolarz and Cayden Primeau. Nonetheless, Laughton’s defensive acumen is what Toronto is looking forward to the most as they try to build upon what currently sits as the fifth-worst defense in the league.
Injury Notes: Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Sharks
Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News that K’Andre Miller could be back shortly, however, Jaccob Slavin could be absent for “a while”. Miller has not played since October 20th, but has been off to a great start in his Carolina tenure with four points in six games. Meanwhile, Slavin was placed on IR last week with a lower-body injury, appearing in the Canes’ first two games before going back down. The ailment has bothered the star defenseman throughout October, and the team has been vague on further details.
Carolina has been great so far despite missing both defensemen, with a 6-2-0 record. Based on Brind’Amour’s comments, it seems a real possibility Miller could be all set when his Hurricanes go to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers next week, after an offseason blockbuster sent the talented 25-year-old to Carolina.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Nick Barden of The Hockey News Toronto updated earlier today that William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok could play versus Calgary tomorrow, as both are dealing with lower-body injuries. Additionally, veterans Scott Laughton and Chris Tanev could rejoin the team later in the week ahead of Saturday’s tilt in Philadelphia. Nylander, who missed just his second regular season game since 2020-21, has dazzled with 14 points in 8 games so far. Laughton was injured in the preseason and has yet to debut in 2025-26, as he looks to get more comfortable as a Leaf, having put up just 4 points in 20 regular season games after being traded to Toronto.
- Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times shared this morning that two Blackhawks veterans, Ilya Mikheyev and Tyler Bertuzzi, did not appear at practice. Mikheyev left Sunday’s game versus Los Angeles after crashing hard into the boards. Thankfully, he is considered day-to-day as it appears a more serious issue was avoided. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi missed yesterday’s game altogether, and is also thought to be day-to-day. Chicago hosts Ottawa tomorrow, and they will hope to have their wingers back before long, as they try to stay above the .500 mark.
- Sunday’s big shootout win for the Sharks at Minnesota came at a cost, as Adam Gaudette left due to an upper body injury and did not return, as per the team. His status is unknown as San Jose hosts their in-state rival the Kings tomorrow night. The 29-year-old center has 3 goals in 9 games.
Atlantic Injury Notes: Laughton, Zucker, Tanev
There’s no question the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled out of the gates to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Fortunately, they could get a boost to the bottom-six of their forward core relatively soon in the form of Scott Laughton.
Laughton has been recovering from a lower-body injury since the end of the preseason, and he hasn’t participated in any practice up to this point in the regular season. Earlier today, Nick Barden of The Hockey News reported that Laughton is expected to resume skating today, indicating he’ll return relatively soon.
However, Laughton’s return is unlikely to resolve the issues plaguing the Maple Leafs this season. The team’s power play is currently tied for 28th in the league with a 12.5% success rate, and the team is middle-of-the-pack in puck possession. Being that he’s a physical center who can win faceoffs and chip in for 30-40 points a year, it would be unrealistic to think Laughton is the only thing Toronto needs to get their season back on track.
More injury notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Despite getting back in the win column against the red-hot Detroit Red Wings last night, the Buffalo Sabres may have lost a valuable top-six winger for the foreseeable future. According to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, Jason Zucker left last night’s game with an upper-body injury and is still being evaluated by the team’s medical staff. Although he only skated in 8:28 of yesterday’s contest, Zucker finished with one goal on two shots.
- Moving back to Toronto, the team could be without defenseman Chris Tanev for their upcoming matchup against the Sabres. After leaving their most recent game with an upper-body injury, TSN’s Mark Masters reported yesterday that Tanev remains questionable to return. Given that the Maple Leafs are financially limited in what they’re able to do, the expectation is that Philippe Myers will make his season debut if Tanev is unable to play on Friday.