Grading the Flyers trade that sent long-time forward Scott Laughton to hometown Maple Leafs

Scott Laughton’s tenure with the Flyers has come to an end.

After years of speculation, Laughton was traded on Friday to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with the Flyers’ 2025 fourth-round pick and their sixth-rounder in 2027 in exchange for Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional first-round pick in 2027. The first-rounder is top-10 protected and the Flyers are retaining 50% of Laughton’s contract, which expires after next season.

» READ MORE: ‘Getting younger’ comes into focus after Flyers trade Erik Johnson, Scott Laughton, and Andrei Kuzmenko at deadline

Here’s a closer look at the deal and how we grade it from a Flyers perspective:

Laughton’s career with the Flyers began when he was drafted 20th in 2012 and saw him play in 661 games and pot 106 goals — who could forget No. 100 coming in a franchise-tying four-goal game in December? He was a glue guy in the locker room and for the Philly community.

Moving him will leave a hole on and off the ice, no doubt. He’s the heart and soul of this team, but for the betterment of the franchise, it had to be done. It’s not a criticism of his game at all; it’s more about the fact that the Flyers are rebuilding. Laughton will be 31 in May, which, for the record, is not too old, but it does not necessarily align with the Flyers’ timeline to become perennial Stanley Cup contenders for at least a few years.

That timeline is why getting the first-round pick in 2027 is the key.

First, kudos to Flyers general manager Danny Brière, who once again stuck to his guns and got a first-rounder like he did for Sean Walker last year. The Flyers are stockpiling first-round picks — they have three in June, one next year, and now two in 2027 — and as Brière said on Friday, they are valuable. (Two first-round picks went from the Dallas Stars to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen and the Maple Leafs traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Boston Bruins for Brandon Carlo).

Of course, what he does with the pick is the key. The Flyers did trade away late-round picks in two drafts, although that shouldn’t have a major impact. But having two first-rounders in an offseason where the Flyers expect to be big-game hunting could have franchise-altering effects.

» READ MORE: Flyers trade Scott Laughton to Maple Leafs

For now, all this grade can really be based on is him getting that pick, taking another step forward in the rebuild as he retools the lineup into his vision, and snagging forward Grebenkin.

The young Russian winger — where have we heard that before — has a ton of upside. Grebenkin, 21, adds some much-needed size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) on the wing and, according to Brière, is energetic, strong on the puck, and competitive. That last one is something the Flyers have been focusing on. He also has some grit to him which could complement the forwards the Flyers have.

And part of this grade is just a giant plus for trading Laughton to Toronto. A native of nearby Oakville, Ontario, this has to be a perfect scenario for the hometown kid. As he told TSN, “Being a Leafs fan growing up, it’s really cool and really special.”