The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Scott Laughton plus fourth- and sixth-round picks from the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Nikita Grebenkin and a first-rounder, the teams announced Friday.
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere acknowledged the emotional challenge of trading Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs, admitting the move was “a little scary” for the franchise.
“There’s no doubt that it’s a little scary,” Briere said, per The Athletic's Kevin Kurz. “He was a big part of the culture that we’ve been re-establishing the last couple years
”But at some point, too, you’ve got to let some of the young guys start to take over.”
Laughton, a fan favorite and respected locker room leader, had spent his entire 661-game NHL career with the Flyers before being dealt to Toronto.
Briere admitted that moving Laughton was “one of the most difficult” decisions he has made as GM, especially given Laughton’s leadership role in the Flyers locker room.
“We thank Scott for everything that he’s done, and hopefully he leaves an imprint on our locker room and you see some of the young guys use what they’ve learned from Scott,” Briere said.
According to Kurz, the Flyers received significant interest in Laughton. Briere confirmed that over a dozen teams called about the center, with Philadelphia's brass ultimately sending him home to Toronto, which seemed like a fitting outcome in Briere's eyes.
“It’s kind of a cool ending for him, having the chance to go back home, with the tragedy that they’ve had to endure this season as a family,” Briere said.
Laughton, 30, has 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games this season and should slide into Toronto's third forward line behind current and former team captains Auston Matthews and John Tavares, respectively.
