Flyers forward Scott Laughton is having some fun with being the center of trade rumor attention

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The NHL’s trade deadline is on Friday and the annual tradition of Scott Laughton’s name being tossed around this time of year rolls on.

Once again the Flyers forward is rumored to be on the move as teams try to boost their rosters for Stanley Cup runs. Laughton is a hot commodity as a two-way center who can play wing, and be a cog on the penalty kill and power play.

So what is Laughton to do?

“I think you’ve got to keep it light at this time of year especially when you spend so much time in a place,” said Laughton, who has been a member of the Flyers since he was taken 20th overall in the 2012 draft. “There’s always going to be stuff going around so, yeah, it’s nice to get some people back.”

Sorry, what?

“It was a little bit of fun and probably went a little more viral than I thought it would be,” he added on Saturday after the Flyers beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in a shootout.

Insert eye emoji.

One of the most prominent personalities on the team, Laughton set social media a flutter on Friday night from Manitoba. He posted on X, without a caption, a picture of himself, teammates Travis Konecny and Erik Johnson, and Flyers equipment, performance, and security staffers at dinner.

But it wasn’t just any friendly pose. They recreated Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” — and Laughton was Jesus Christ.

Was it Laughton’s last supper with the Flyers? Did it mean he was on the move? Time will tell, but it was the last supper on the road for the Flyers before the trade deadline.

“We took out the trainers for dinner, and we were joking around,” Laughton said. “I think you kind of got to keep it light at this time of year and [we were] joking around that it was my last time on the road.

“EJ was kind of poking fun at me, so we created a little bit of picture. I think when you’re in the rumors for five years straight, it’s nice to get some people back with a little bit of trolling.”

Did we mention that he has a big personality?

Despite all the chatter around him, it doesn’t mean the Flyers are helping the homegrown, long-tenured player pack.

“What I can tell you is we’re not actively shopping him,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière told The Inquirer on Thursday. “There [are] teams that would love to have a Scott Laughton on their roster come playoff time. But on our end, we also feel he’s an important part of our team. So we’re trying to figure out ... what’s the price we feel we can’t turn down.”

For now, Laughton is sticking around

And, in case you were wondering, coach John Tortorella thoroughly enjoyed the picture.

“I thought it was great,” the bench boss said on Saturday. “I saw it late last night. I’m sure Danny and [Keith Jones] got a lot of phone calls once that thing came out from you knuckleheads [the media] buying into it.”

During his pregame chat, Flyers players could be heard in the not-too-far distance playing soccer in an area they were also using to prepare for the game. Johnson came out of the tunnel and Tortorella spotted him.

“Hey EJ, were you the one who did it? Were you the one who set up this ‘Last Supper’?” Tortorella yelled out with a grin.

Johnson with his hands up: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tortorella turned to the media: “I thought it was EJ who set up ‘The Last Supper.’ I thought it was fantastic.

“That’s hockey right there.”