Flyers trade Scott Laughton to Maple Leafs, Erik Johnson to Avalanche
The Philadelphia Flyers made three trades at the NHL trade deadline, including shipping out one of their team leaders. The Flyers traded center Scott Laughton, defenseman Erik Johnson and winger Andrei Kuzmenko in three separate moves Friday.
The Flyers traded Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick. The Flyers are retaining 50% of Laughton's contract and sending a 2025 fourth-rounder and 2027 sixth-rounder to the Leafs. Philly is getting a 2027 first-rounder with a top-10 protection from the Leafs.
"This trade is as tough as they come for me personally and professionally. Scott was an integral part of our team for a long time and it was a great pleasure to see him grow into the teammate and leader that he is," Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in a statement. "Scott not only brought back the standard of what it means to be a Philadelphia Flyer, he led the way and set a precedent for our organization moving forward."
Philadelphia also sent Andrei Kuzmenko and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2027 third-round draft pick on trade deadline day. In the third trade, the orange and black sent Johnson to the Colorado Avalanche for 27-year-old winger Givani Smith.
Grebenkin was a 2022 fifth-round draft pick out of Russia. He's 6-foot-2 and a lefty shot right winger. He's played seven games with the Maple Leafs this season, but he's spent most of the season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. In 39 AHL games, Grebenkin has nine goals and 21 points.
"He was one of their prospects that we really liked," Briere said. "He was definitely a target for us."
Laughton was one of the rebuilding Flyers' biggest trade assets. With the center market as it was, Laughton's value proved too good to pass up. Laughton reunites with Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, who coached him in Philadelphia in 2014-15.
The Flyers selected Laughton with the 20th overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft. In 12 seasons with the orange and black, Laughton established himself as one of the team's leaders and a respected voice inside the locker room.
Laughton never developed into a top-six forward, but he became a steady, versatile depth contributor and helped kill penalties. He's scored 10 or more goals in seven of the last eight seasons. This season, he has 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games.
The 30-year-old has one year left on a five-year, $15 million contract extension he signed with Philadelphia in 2021. He'll become a free agent after the 2025-26 season.
On Jan. 31, the Flyers traded Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames for Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier and two draft picks.
