Scott Laughton was traded to the Los Angeles Kings by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday for a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
If Los Angeles qualifies for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the third-round selection will become a second-round selection.
Laughton had 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 43 games for the Maple Leafs this season. The 31-year-old forward is in the final season of a five-year, $15 million contract ($3 million average annual value) he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers on April 12, 2021. He can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
“He can kill penalties, wins draws, competitive, and just gives us more depth,” Kings general manager Ken Holland said. “Coming into the deadline, what I wanted to do, I wanted to try to get another pick or two for our scouts. I think it’s important that we got to continue to draft, try to get some young players in the organization. At the same time, with the win last night, I think we’re three points back, four points back-- we lose every tiebreaker -- so we need to continue to push.”
Selected by Philadelphia in the first round (No. 20) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Laughton has 281 points (116 goals, 165 assists) in 724 regular-season games for the Flyers and Maple Leafs, and 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 37 playoff games.
The Kings (25-22-14) are sixth in the Pacific Division and trail the Seattle Kraken by three points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
The Maple Leafs (27-25-11) are seventh in the Atlantic Division and trail the Boston Bruins by eight points for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.
