Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton broke his silence on the viral "Last Supper" photo he posted Friday night, explaining the meaning behind it after Saturday's road game in Winnipeg.
The image, a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper,’ featured Laughton in the role of Jesus, flanked by teammates Travis Konecny, Erik Johnson, and others.
Its sudden appearance online, along with the rumors linking Laughton to a deadline trade away from Philadelphia, led to widespread speculation, given the cryptic nature of the post.
With speculation surrounding him, Laughton finally explained everything, acknowledging it was all just a joke amid a stressful time.
“We were joking around. I think you kinda got to keep it light at this time of year,” Laughton said. “Joking around that it was my last time (with the Flyers) on the road.
"(Johnson) was kind of poking fun at me, so we re-created a little picture.”
With the NHL trade deadline set on Friday at 3 p.m. ET, the Toronto Maple Leafs have expressed interest in trading for Laughton to bolster their forward corps.
On Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading," TSN's Darren Dreger revealed the Flyers' asking price in a trade as "a first-round draft pick or an equal-value prospect."
“I think when you’re in (trade) rumors for five years straight, it’s nice to get some people back with a little bit of trolling,” Laughton said.
Meanwhile, Flyers head coach John Tortorella praised Laughton’s sense of humor for recreating such a famous painting in his photo.
“I thought it was great,” Tortorella said. “I’m sure (general manager Daniel Briere and president Keith Jones) got a lot of phone calls once that thing came out from you knuckleheads buying into it.
”That’s hockey right there.”
Philadelphia drafted Laughton in 2012, and he's been with the team since that year, appearing in 659 regular-season games and scoring 265 points for the Flyers.
Laughton is under contract through the end of the 2025/26 season with a cap hit of $3 million per year. This season, Laughton has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 total points in 58 games.
