Scott Laughton signs $15m deal
The Philadelphia Flyers have not had an easy time adjusting to the 2020-21 NHL season, struggling in the newly created East Division. They sit in sixth spot behind the New York Rangers and will likely be watching from home when the playoffs commence in mid-May. Fans did get some good news on Monday though when the team confirmed they had agreed terms with center Scott Laughton.
Laughton signed a five-year deal worth $3m-per-season to stay in Philadelphia with the Flyers. The 26-year-old has spent his entire career in Philadelphia, after being drafted by the Flyers with the 20th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
“Pretty stressful couple of hours in the morning [Monday] for me, just not knowing what was going to happen,” Laughton said Tuesday, via NHL.com. “Just very thankful that we got something done in the afternoon and I’m able to stay in Philly. I love it here. I’ve said it before, I believe in these guys, I believe in this group and I love the staff here. I love everyone around here. Obviously not the year that we wanted to have so far but we’re still in the mix and we’ve got to keep fighting and that’s what we’ll do.”
Laughton was eligible to be an unrestricted free agent following the current campaign as he was at the end of a two-year deal that he had signed with the Flyers in July, 2017. His current deal sees him earn less than $1m annually, so he is set to receive a significant pay increase next season.
“It was pretty important for me to have that security,” Laughton continued. “And like I’ve said before, I really believe in this franchise and the people around it. So I want to be a part of something here where we can do something special and having that term is part of that and just being part of the group here and trying to win a [Stanley] Cup at the end of the day. So that’s what I’m going to do and I’m going to continue to work hard and push for that goal and I know everyone around here is going try and do the same.”
Laughton currently has 17 points for the Flyers this season, scoring seven goals and providing 10 assists. He had a career high of 13 goals in just 49 games played last year.
“Those types of players are hard to get,” Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Monday, via NHL.com. “Scott was drafted by the Flyers, we developed him. He loves being a Flyer and at the end of the day, he made a commitment to us today to sign and stay with us.”
Despite the increase in salary, Laughton certainly helps the Flyers fill a hole and could be a real asset to them for years to come.
“It’s hard to get those players. I think we have a couple other holes on our team and the thought of creating an additional hole to me wasn’t very appealing,” Fletcher said. “He’s part of the solution for us going forward and we were able to lock him up to a contract that we feel works for us going forward and obviously works for Scott.”
