Scott Laughton was one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top trade candidates leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, and he has now found his new home. The Maple Leafs have announced that they have traded the veteran forward to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2026 conditional second-round pick.
Laughton is in the final season of his five-year, $15 million contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA). With the Maple Leafs’ playoff chances being incredibly low, it was entirely understandable that they elected to trade the 2012 first-round pick. Now, he is joining a Kings club that is looking to climb up the Western Conference standings to get into the playoffs.
Laughton landing with the Kings is certainly intriguing to see, as they are currently on the wrong side of the playoff line. In addition, they traded veteran forward Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier on trade deadline day. Yet, even with the Kings being sellers, they have now brought in Laughton for their bottom six.
Laughton will now provide the Kings’ forward group with a solid bottom-six center who plays a heavy game, is solid defensively, and is a well-known leader. The 31-year-old forward played in 43 games this season with the Maple Leafs before being traded to the Kings, where he had eight goals, four assists, 12 points, and a minus-3 rating.
Maple Leafs Trading Scott Laughton Was Fully Expected
With the Maple Leafs being among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference this season, there was a real expectation that he would end up being traded by Toronto by the deadline. As a result of this, it was not surprising in the slightest when it was announced that the Maple Leafs traded him. This is especially so when noting that he was scratched for roster-related reasons leading up to the trade deadline.
Laughton was linked to several teams leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. A handful of teams who were connected to the Maple Leafs forward included the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, and Buffalo Sabres. However, the Kings ended up being the team that landed him, and he should be a nice part of their roster because of it.
However, the return the Maple Leafs got for Laughton is where things were a bit more surprising. Last season, the Maple Leafs had to give up a first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin to acquire Laughton. As a result of this, seeing the Maple Leafs get only a third-round pick for Laughton is certainly disappointing.
Kings Will Be Hoping That Laughton Can Make a Big Impact
With the Kings fighting to get back into the playoff picture, there is no question that they will be hoping that Laughton can play some strong hockey for them. When playing at his best, Laughton is an impactful top-nine forward, and he undoubtedly showed this during his time with the Flyers. Now, he will be looking to regain his top form out west with the Kings from here.
Overall, this is a low-risk move for a Kings club looking to prove that they can still be contenders. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Laughton makes from here.
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