Kings Acquire Scott Laughton From Maple Leafs

Friday, March 06, 2026 ,


The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a second buzzer-beater trade, this time sending Scott Laughton to the Los Angeles Kings.

It's a curious move by the Kings, who are out of the playoff picture right now and, after losing Kevin Fiala for the season, are acquiring a pending unrestricted free agent in Laughton.

The return is a third-round pick that could become a second-rounder if the Kings make the playoffs.
The Kings also shipped out Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier in the day.

Laughton had been held out of the lineup earlier in the week, a strong indication that a move was coming. With the Maple Leafs sliding in the standings and sitting outside the playoff picture, general manager Brad Treliving opted to move the pending unrestricted free agent rather than risk losing him for nothing this summer.

It's still not a great look for Treliving, who traded a 1st-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin to acquire Laughton just a year ago from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Laughton has 8 goals and 12 points in 43 games this season while being buried in a fourth-line role, but it certainly feels like he can bring a lot more if given the opportunity. He's added 78 hits and owns a 56.5 winning faceoff percentage.

Laughton's also a great penalty killer, which is something the Kings have struggled with this season, currently sitting 28th in the league on the PK.

His value in the playoffs was seen in the 2019-20 season with the Flyers, where he recorded five goals, nine points, 50 hits, and averaged 15:22 ice time across 15 games.

The Kings are currently three points out of a playoff spot, with the Seattle Kraken holding the second Wild Card spot with 67 points. 

They're also 3-6-1 in their last 10, so they're not exactly carrying a lot of momentum to fight for a spot right now.

Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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