The Philadelphia Flyers are splitting up with one of their longest-tenured players.
The Flyers have traded centre Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Nikita Grebenkin and a first-rounder.
Centre was considered a position of need for Toronto heading toward Friday’s trade deadline.
Laughton, 30, has spent his entire 12-year career with the Flyers. Only captain Sean Couturier has been with the team longer.
He has 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games this season.
A middle-of-the-lineup pivot, Laughton doesn’t put up a ton of points but can win faceoffs and kill penalties. With the Maple Leafs, he will slot into the bottom six to provide some centre depth for a playoff run and allow Max Domi to play on the wing.
It’s also a return home for Laughton, who is a native of Oakville, Ont. He played for the Toronto Marlboros
Laughton’s name has been in trade rumours for multiple years due to his affordable contract and the retool the Flyers are undertaking. He is in the fourth year of a five-season deal that carries a $3 million average annual value.
