Scott Laughton says Philly is ‘always going to be home’ as he prepares to play against the Flyers for the first time
Laughton, who was traded to his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on March 7, will face off against his old friends on Tuesday night.
TORONTO — One could be forgiven for doing a double take as Scott Laughton stood in front of the illuminating backdrop and behind the glass podium Thursday in the bowels of Scotiabank Arena
Gone was the Flyers’ orange and black everyone had been so accustomed to seeing around him. Now everything was blue from the backdrop to the hat and the hoodie he had on. Splashed in white on the hoodie it said Toronto Maple Leafs and in the corner No. 24.
Twenty-four? The same number Nick Seeler wears?
“[He’s] one of the reasons,” said Laughton with a smile about his new jersey number. He cannot wear No. 21 from his Flyers days as it is retired by the Leafs for the late Börje Salming. “I was going to go 49, my old training camp number. But once this opened up, there’s a couple of guys who have worn it here, and, yeah, Seels is one of my favorite players. Going to stay away from him tonight, though.”
What does the Flyers defenseman think of the honor? “I saw that he’s wearing 24, so I texted him. I said, ‘2-4 horse’”
Eighteen days ago, Laughton was traded at the deadline from the Flyers to the Maple Leafs in a deal that landed the Flyers a 2027 first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. The trade closed the book on almost 13 years in Philly for the forward, who was drafted 20th overall in 2012 and played 669 games, accumulating 265 points, punctuated by his 100th goal for the franchise in December.
The move wasn’t exactly a surprise as rumors had swirled for years, but it was still a little bit of a shock to the system for the 30-year-old Laughton.
“I grew up in Philly and [we] had our baby there and everything like that. So I think it’s always going to be part of us and part of our home, for sure,” said Laughton, who welcomed son Reed with his wife, Chloe, in late October.
“Probably keep our place there and go back there throughout our adult life. So I think it’s always going to be home for me. And, yeah, it’s emotional when you go through a big change like that.”
It has been a big shift for Laughton and for the Flyers.
For Laughton, who hails from nearby Oakville, Ontario, he has had to get used to a new team and routine, living in a hotel in Toronto, but not a new coach.
“I had him so young,” said Leafs coach Craig Berube, who was on the Flyers bench for Laughton’s first 36 NHL games. “I think coming in, we weren’t sure exactly what he was going to be. .... I think in the NHL, he’s been more of a role player, but still produces — not at as high a clip as he did in junior, but he still produces.”
The No. 49 Laughton thought of wearing? It was the number he wore in training camp and the 2014-15 season when Berube was the head coach in Philly. Reunited, the Toronto bench boss wants to see Laughton bring an edge and play a hard style.
In eight games, Laughton has not notched a point and has a plus-minus of minus-5. Although Laughton has struggled to find his footing, Berube thought his last game against the Nashville Predators was his best thus far.
“I know in talking to him, he’s just trying to keep his head down and trying to fit in, where when he’d walk into the locker room in Philly, he’d take it over,” said Flyers coach John Tortorella, who Laughton said has a lot of similarities to Berube. “So, yeah, there’s an adjustment period for him. I hope people are patient with him, because it’s a huge adjustment for him, but you’re going to find out what he’s about eventually.”
The Flyers just hope it’s not against them on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
“It’ll be weird,” Seeler said. “He’s been a Flyer for so long, and I’ve been with him for four years now. So it’ll definitely be strange. I’m guessing it’ll be a little bit different for him.”
It is different for Laughton. “Looking at the pre-scout, I’m in some of the clips,” he quipped.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s running around hitting us, just doing his normal Laughty stuff, which is what we fully expect,” added Travis Konecny, who played alongside Laughton since 2016. “So it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of back-and-forth chatter, too.”
Any chirps?
“Oh, gosh, yeah. We’ve got years of back-and-forth,” Konecny said with a chuckle. “If you saw us day to day, you’d think we didn’t like each other. We’re good buddies, so it’s just a lot of fun banter back and forth.”
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Speaking about Laughton, all of the Flyers had a gleam in their eye. It is evident to everyone around the team just how big a role he played and why he was “the glue of a locker room,” as Tortorella reconfirmed Tuesday. So it’s no surprise Laughton’s departure coupled with the loss of Erik Johnson to the Colorado Avalanche on the same day — the pair shared a flight to Denver with the Avalanche hosting the Leafs on March 8 — has left a gaping hole in the room.
“I think it’s been an adjustment for some of our guys,” Tortorella revealed. “They’ve been very honest with me about that. Some guys have struggled with that. OK, and I’ll give you that. There is a human part to it, but eventually, you got to start doing your stuff here, and start playing. I’m not trying to criticize any player. I think it’s been a major adjustment for a few players on our team.”
Laughton saw some of the staff on Sunday night and has been seeing his former buddies as they are staying in the same hotel.
“Got a room pretty close to Torts,” Laughton joked.
Oh, really? How close?
“He’s next to me,” Tortorella laughed. “I said stay in your room and I’ll stay in mine.”
And just like that, nothing has really changed.
Breakaways
Sam Ersson will start for the Flyers against Toronto. Ivan Fedotov had been in net for the two previous meetings in early January. ... Goalie Aleksei Kolosov was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. The recall is the Flyers’ fourth and final post-trade deadline recall, barring an injury. If there is an injury and they cannot field a full team, they could make an emergency recall from Lehigh Valley.