A solid 2C and Toronto native just entered the rumour mill and could make a lot of sense for the Leafs
When Noah Hanafin's name came up during the Vegas/Florida broadcast last night, I think just about everyone in Leafs Nation's ears began to perk up, especially with the Brad Treliving connection there. However, there was also another name mentioned last night who might interest the Leafs as well.
Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Philadelphia Flyers have a pretty hot commodity on their hands in center Scott Laughton. Per Friedman, Laughton's name was brought up a number of times during the Draft Combine this week and teams are calling Philadelphia to see what the Flyers might have to have to part with him.
Friedman confirmed that the Flyers, in a perfect world, would prefer to hold onto Laughton as one of their main veteran pieces to be an example for the next crop of young Flyers coming up, but he did say that Philly was definitely listening and that if the Flyers are presented with the right offer, they could move him.
The reason why Laughton's name may excite some Leaf fans is that Laughton is from Oakville, Ontario, a stone's throw from Toronto. Laughton came up through Junior playing for the Oshawa Generals before being drafted by the Flyers in the 1st round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, with the 20th overall pick.
On top of being a local product, Laughton plays a solid two-way game and is physical as well. He can play wing, but is a natural center, so there's that added versatility to consider as well.
The Flyers have been offered deals which include a 1st round pick for Laughton in recent years, but have hung onto him to this point. They view him as a valuable piece, but with the rebuild already under way, the writing may already be on the wall for Laughton in Philly.
Laughton had 43 points in 78 games for the Flyers last season.
