Maple Leafs' Potential Scott Laughton Trade Could Backfire in a Big Way
A potential deal involving the Maple Leafs and center Scott Laughton may not be the deal the team wants to make after all, especially with who the team is trading.
With the NHL Trade Deadline in just over a week away, things are getting heated one it comes to rumors and speculation, which is wild considering how crazy this season has already been regarding deals already made and potential ones being discussed.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be big players for one of several names and while the list seems to grow longer by the day, one name that's followed them all season is Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton.
Though he would certainly solve a lot of the team's issues down the middle, there's a lot of questions regarding what Toronto needs to give up. Word on the street is that Fraser Minten is the ideal piece going back.
But is that really worth it?
Scott Laughton Good But Fraser Minten Could Be Better
While both players are comparable given their skillsets as both play a defensive style game and don't bring a ton of offensive prowess but are more than capable of lighting the lamp.
The issue is that Minten is a pure center, meanwhile Laughton has been playing much more wing as of late.
While he's traditionally a center and can make a difference for Toronto, his numbers aren't nearly as good as a player like Jean-Gabriel Pageau; a similar player to Laughton as well.
Bringing in Laughton isn't a terrible choice whatsoever but not at that price. Minten is still projected to be a great 3C and a solid 2C, and with no guarantees that Laughton brings them a cup, should they mortgage the future?
Instead, if Toronto truly wanted to get Laughton as their 3C for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they should look to package a couple of decent picks (their 2nd and 3rd rounders) with perhaps a player like William Villeneuve or Nikita Grebenkin; mid-tier but intriguing prospects.
This season has been par for the course for Laughton. In 56 games he has 11 goals and 16 assists, 116 hits and winning nearly 49% of his face-offs.
Over his 12-year career, the Oakville, Ontario native has 106 goals and 159 assists in 657 games since being drafted 20th overall by the Flyers in 2012.
Scott Laughton is clearly one of the pieces that Brad Treliving is going to pursue in the coming days, but he needs to be careful he doesn't trade away a player who is going to be better, and cheaper for the sake of just making a move.
