At deadline, Laughton chose security over success with Flyers

No matter how hard Scott Laughton tried, he could not block out the icy take-it-or-get-traded overtures leading up to the NHL trade deadline.

The business end of hockey caught up to the veteran Flyers forward who prided himself on his allbusiness approach to the game.

Laughton woke up conflicted Monday. Should he take the Flyers’ contract offer or bet on himself and test free agency after the season? The latter meant a certain trade, as several teams were interested.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher conceded he was ready to trade Laughton, who ended the drama by taking the money, Philly, and for him peace of mind. That, um, was before the Flyers were blown out, 6-1, Tuesday night by the Washington Capitals, an outcome that left coach Alain Vigneault unhappy with the effort of his freefalling team.

“You try not to think about it but at the end of the day it’s your life and you want to do what’s best for you and your family,” Laughton said. “You’re signing something that’s going to have an effect on your family and everyone around you. It’s a big decision. So, yeah it weighs in the back of your mind.”

Laughton insisted on a lengthy deal. Though the modest five-year, $15 million pact makes him tradeworthy, it also protects him financially.

“I think it was pretty important for me to have that security,” the 26-year-old Laughton said. “I really believe in this franchise and the people around it. I want to be part of something here where we can do something special and having that term is part of it. Just being part of the group here and trying to win a Cup at the end of the day, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Barring a dramatic turnabout by the Flyers (19-17-6), who were four points out of a playoff berth in the East entering Tuesday, there are going to be several changes in the offseason.

There could be a few moves in the coming week gauging by the way the Flyers fell behind, 4-1, in the first period.

“Obviously, I didn’t like at all the way we came out,” Vigneault said. “It’s not the way you give yourself a chance against such a strong opponent. It wasn’t good enough. … Obviously, I think we’re going to find out a lot about this group in the next coming while here. At the end of the day, we all still have a job to do and we have to do it.”

The purge of veterans on trade deadline day tells the story of this season. The Flyers dealt Michael Raffl to the Capitals for a fifthround pick and Erik Gustafsson to Montreal for a seventh-round choice and salary considerations.

Raffl didn’t play Tuesday. The Flyers are paying half of Gustafsson’s remaining salary this season.

“We haven’t shown the consistency that a playoff team needs to bring,” Vigneault said earlier. “We can start tonight. But because we didn’t show the consistency and management did what they had to do. And I totally understand that. But I do believe there’s still a lot of hockey to be played and I definitely believe that we’re a playoff team. And it’s up to us to go out and show that.”

Laughton will show up, although with seven goals and 17 points in 38 games, the Flyers are going to need help. Like Vigneault, Laughton believes the Flyers are a lot closer to great than they’ve shown, pointing to last season when the Orange and Black won a playoff series.

“Last year we played probably our best hockey since I’ve been here,” Laughton said. “We have a really good group of guys and a lot of young guys coming up. I think (Joel) Farabee

has made huge progress. We still have some guys down in the minors that can do it. We had a really good year last year and COVID hits this year and we kind of haven’t been the same. I really do believe we are close. I know the results don’t show it this year and some of the times, the way we’ve been playing. But I believe in this group and I want to be here and bring a cup back to Philly.”

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NOTES » The Caps got three power play goals, the last one by Alex Ovechkin, his 22nd on the season. … Couturier was at a loss to describe the Flyers’ lack of competitiveness: “Not good enough. You should be prepared every game,” Couturier said. “It’s part of being a pro. I hope everyone knows that.” … The Flyers signed free agent forward Jackson Cates from the University of Minnesota-Duluth to a twoyear entry-level contract averaging $925,000. Cates (6-0, 190) registered 11 goals and 27 points in 28 games for UMD this past season.