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Scott Laughton

Scott Laughton Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Philadelphia Flyers have some good news on the injury front for once, as Scott Laughton has been activated and will play tonight. The veteran forward has been out since November 19. Jackson Cates has been loaned back to the AHL to make room.

As with everything else when it comes to the Flyers right now, there is also some not-so-good news to go along with Laughton’s return. Tony DeAngelo left the optional morning skate early to meet with the medical staff and is a game-time decision, according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.

Laughton, 28, had seven points in 18 games before going down, adding his trademark physicality and penalty-killing prowess to the lineup. He was averaging more shorthanded ice time than any other forward on the team, while also seeing ample powerplay exposure. Despite a career-high of just 32 points, he is one of the team’s most important forwards, and one that head coach John Tortorella obviously trusted, given the more than 19 minutes he was getting every night.

Signed to a five-year, $15MM contract in 2021, Laughton will try to help turn around a sinking ship in Philadelphia that has lost ten in a row. The Flyers sit ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division and Tortorella is showing his frustration, breaking out a classic “up and down like a toilet seat” line to describe Morgan Frost’s play (Columbus fans might remember those words from a few years ago).

The club is now at home for the next five, and if they can’t turn things around soon, the Philadelphia faithful will certainly let them know about it. Not a great situation for Laughton to try and get back into game action.

2022 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes: Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins: Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres: Jeff Skinner

Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche: Nazem Kadri

Columbus Blue Jackets: Jack Roslovic

Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic

Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov

Los Angeles Kings: Cal Petersen

Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba

Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen

Nashville Predators: Luke Kunin

New Jersey Devils: P.K. Subban

New York Islanders: Anders Lee

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden

Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton

Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust

San Jose Sharks: Matt Nieto

Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz

St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs: Wayne Simmonds

Vancouver Canucks: Bo Horvat

Vegas Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty

Washington Capitals: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey

Philadelphia Flyers Activate Scott Laughton

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that the team has activated forward Scott Laughton off injured reserve after missing roughly three and a half weeks with a concussion. In a corresponding transaction, the team also loaned forward Hayden Hodgson back to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Laughton suffered the concussion after playing 11 shifts in a March 10th game against the Florida Panthers. He’d been taking on his biggest role yet in Philadelphia this year prior to the injury, scoring 11 goals and 28 points in 54 games while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time per game for the first time in his career.

Historically a strong play-driving forward, Laughton continued to outperform his $3M cap hit this year, and the Flyers hope that he gets back to full health and serves as a solid depth piece for years to come. While they may still be in rebuilding mode for the next few seasons, Laughton, under contract through 2025-26, can serve as a veteran leader in what could be a tough stretch of seasons for the team.

He will return to the lineup against Columbus tonight, projected to center a unit between newcomer Noah Cates and Travis Konecny.

Hodgson, meanwhile, returns to Lehigh Valley after a strong showing during his first five games in the NHL, registering a goal and an assist and a -1 rating. He won’t get a chance to make a playoff impact there, however, as Lehigh Valley sits last in their division with 13 games remaining.

Snapshots: Drouin, Laughton, Lindenwood

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The Montreal Canadiens won’t have forward Jonathan Drouin in the lineup tonight, as he’s returned home due to a close COVID-19 contact, the team announced. Drouin’s battled through injury this year, missing around two months with a wrist injury, but has been fairly productive with 20 points in 34 games when in the lineup. It’s another tough break for Drouin, who’s put up points over the past few seasons but can’t stay in the lineup. Waiver claim Rem Pitlick could get an elevated role in the Montreal lineup while Drouin is out.

More from around hockey on this Thursday night:

  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton “didn’t get great news” during his latest doctors’ appointment, said head coach Mike Yeo today. The forward has been out with a concussion for roughly two weeks, and it’s looking increasingly likely that he won’t return this season. The team has shut him down for the time being as he focuses on his recovery. If it is the end of the year for him, he finished 2021-22 with 28 points in 54 games.
  • Division I college hockey is officially coming to the St. Louis area. Lindenwood University officially unveiled its program today, after more than a year of rumors surrounding the school. In its first season, the school will be coached by former St. Louis Blue Rick Zombo.

Injury Notes: Thornton, Laughton, Patrick

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Florida Panthers head coach Andrew Brunette said today that forward Joe Thornton is close to a return to the lineup, and Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards says it’s likely the veteran forward is activated prior to Tuesday’s game against his former team in San Jose. Thornton has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since mid-February. He has four goals and two assists for six points in 24 games this year, remaining a solid depth option as he chases an elusive Stanley Cup ring in Florida.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton is “feeling better,” but head coach Mike Yeo says there’s still no timeline for his return to the lineup. The Flyers have been plagued with a laundry list of injuries this season, a trend that isn’t stopping anytime soon. The nine-year NHL veteran sustained a concussion earlier this week, disrupting a solid season for the depth center. He had 11 goals and 17 assists in 54 games.
  • The NHL media website lists Vegas Golden Knights forward Nolan Patrick as being off injured reserve for tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Injuries have once again severely limited Patrick this year, getting into just 18 games and registering six points. As the Golden Knights continue to flounder, they hope he can remain a part of the team for the stretch run.

Injury Notes: Barrie, Laughton, Fischer

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The Edmonton Oilers announced that they have officially activated defenseman Tyson Barrie off of injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Barrie had been placed on IR on March 7th, retroactive to March 5th, missing the past three games. Adding Barrie back into the lineup will give the Oilers more of an offensive punch on their back end and deepen their defensive core once again.

For Barrie, this trip to the IR was his third absence from the Oilers roster in 2022, having previously spent time on IR in late January and early February, as well as time in COVID protocol in January. Barrie has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence to his career since joining Edmonton before the 2020-21 season and signing a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Oilers this past July. The Oilers will certainly count on Barrie to remain healthy down the stretch, as the team will need all it can get to secure a playoff spot in the incredibly tight Western Conference.

  • Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now reports that Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Scott Laughton is expected to remain out of the lineup indefinitely after suffering a concussion in the Flyers loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Losing Laughton is another tough blow to the Flyers, who have struggled with injuries the entire season. Particularly, as the team has struggled in the standings, Laughton has remained a steady force for the team, having a career year with 28 points in 54 games, and has also been a core piece in the locker room. No timetable has been given on Laughton’s return, however concussion related injuries can vary and considering the Flyers’ struggles, there is no reason to rush the forward back.
  • Arizona Coyotes’ head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters, including PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, that forward Christian Fischer is day-to-day and is unlikely to play in tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins (Tweet). Tourigny also added that if Fischer does in fact sit, Hudson Fasching will play. Fischer has 10 points in 49 games this season for Arizona.

Philadelphia Flyers Add Three To COVID Protocol

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The Philadelphia Flyers have added Derick Brassard, Carter Hart, and Scott Laughton to the COVID protocol, making them unavailable for the time being. Max Willman, who had previously been in the protocol, was activated today and rejoined the team at practice. Jackson Cates, Gerald Mayhew, and Felix Sandstrom have been recalled to join the team’s taxi squad.

Losing Brassard and Laughton certainly isn’t ideal, but Hart is the biggest blow for the Flyers today. The young netminder has rebounded this season and carries a .918 save percentage through 19 appearances, carrying the majority of the load for the team. Martin Jones will now become the de facto starter for the time being, though the group in front of him is certainly not at full strength.

The Flyers are now at seven players in the COVID protocol, as Brassard, Hart, and Laughton join Kevin Hayes, Ryan Ellis, Sean Couturier, and Morgan Frost. Those are some pretty important names that could be unavailable when the team is scheduled to return to action Wednesday night.

2021 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Charlie Coyle

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Mikael Backlund

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Connor Murphy

Colorado: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Esa Lindell

Detroit: Dylan Larkin

Edmonton: Kyle Turris

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky

Los Angeles: Trevor Moore

Minnesota: Mats Zuccarello

Montreal: Jonathan Drouin

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: P.K. Subban

NY Islanders: Anders Lee

NY Rangers: Chris Kreider

Ottawa: Thomas Chabot

Philadelphia: Scott Laughton

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Kurtis Gabriel

St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn

Toronto: John Tavares

Vancouver: Tyler Motte

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Scott Laughton Signs Extension In Philadelphia

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One name that has been thrown around in recent weeks is Scott Laughton, a physical forward for the Philadelphia Flyers who was getting closer to free agency. As it turns out, free agency will have to wait. Laughton has signed a five-year extension with the Flyers which will carry an average annual value of $3MM.

Laughton, 26, hasn’t ever been a huge offensive producer, but there’s a lot of other positives in his game. Able to capably play the center position and line up against the other team’s best, he brings size, speed and physicality to the ice every night. In 38 games this season he has seven goals and 17 points, while recording 99 hits and averaging more than 15 minutes a night.

There was some speculation that Laughton might even bring a first-round pick back to Philadelphia if he were traded today, as the interest was high from around the league. Whether a pick that high was ever actually offered isn’t at all clear, but it won’t matter anyway as Laughton is staying in Philadelphia for another huge chunk of his career.

At just $3MM, he can fit into the bottom-six without impacting the salary cap negatively for Philadelphia and continue to anchor the team’s penalty kill. Getting fie years is a huge win for Laughton, who will now be under contract through his age-31 season.

Travis Konecny Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Philadelphia Flyers only lost their budding young star Travis Konecny for three games as it turns out, given he has been activated from injured reserve in time for tonight’s tilt against the Anaheim Ducks. Konecny was diagnosed with a concussion just over a week ago. Unfortunately, Scott Laughton has taken his place on injured reserve after leaving Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Konecny’s return will be welcomed in Philadelphia after the Flyers went 0-3 in his absence. They scored just five goals total in those three games, something he should help to remedy if he is back at full strength. The 22-year old has 28 points in 30 games this year to lead the Flyers and looks like he will soon take over as the face of the franchise as Claude Giroux enters his mid-thirties.

His breakout is coming at the perfect time for GM Chuck Fletcher, who got Konecny to sign a six-year, $33MM deal just before the season began. If he can continue to produce at close to a point-per-game while providing the kind of energy and peskiness he’s known for, Konecny will soon become one of the best bargains in the league at a $5.5MM cap hit.

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