How Scott Laughton said goodbye to the Flyers after 12 years: 'We both got emotional'

TORONTO When Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere called Scott Laughton in to inform him hed been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this month, Laughton was crying.

They both were.

The men who first met each other as Flyers teammates more than a decade ago were caught at the intersection of lament for a shared chapter closing and joy for the one that had opened for Laughton, a beloved member of the Philadelphia organization who has experienced the extreme ends of love and loss in recent months.

Advertisement By trading Laughton to Toronto at the March 7 trade deadline, Briere wasnt just giving the veteran forward a chance to chase the Stanley Cup.

He was sending him home.

We both got emotional, Briere told The Athletic of the five-minute conversation that sealed the deal.

For him, I think it was one of those moments where he didnt want to leave hes been a Flyer his whole career, and thats all he knew and then on the flip side, there was the excitement of going to his hometown and a team he grew up cheering for and a team that aspires to a Stanley Cup.

He was kind of stuck in the middle of both.

Excited, but disappointed at the same time, if its even possible.

It was pretty wild, that discussion.

It wasnt easy.

It was tough.

But I was certainly excited.

In the often-cutthroat world of professional sports, this is a shining example of how humanity can still accompany business.

Laughton had made it a point to look out for everyone he came in touch with over 12-plus years in the Flyers organization.

Its telling that he chose to take the trainers and support staff out to dinner in Toronto ahead of facing his former team at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.

And when it came time for the rebuilding Flyers to turn the 30-year-old forward into future assets at the trade deadline, management made a point of looking after him.

Laughton said he greatly appreciated how open Briere and team president Keith Jones were with him.

When his name circulated in trade rumors ahead of last years deadline, Briere reassured Laughton that he wouldnt be dealt.

And when those two sat down in February to discuss the plans for this seasons deadline, the Flyers GM was forthright and indicated that hed be forced to move him if someone stepped up and met the asking price.

What Briere also did was seek feedback on where the native of Oakville, Ont., would potentially like to play.

Advertisement We had that talk, too, of preference if you were to go somewhere, said Laughton.

So I think thats what I really appreciated about the process.

They were kind of trying to help me out.

Not only had Laughton played nearly 700 games for the Flyers and helped the standard for a retooling organization in recent years, but also hed endured a family tragedy in January.

He missed three games that month following the sudden and unexpected death of his father-in-law , Rocco Negri, at 62.

With both Laughton and his wife, Chloe, hailing from the Toronto area, and the couple having recently welcomed their first child when son Reed was born in October, a move back to a place where they had a support system in place held strong appeal.

Still, Briere wasnt entirely sure hed be trading Laughton at all until the hours before the 3 p.m.

deadline.

Hed received plenty of calls before then, but no offers worthy of serious consideration.

With Laughton under contract through 2025-26 at an affordable cap hit, the Flyers GM was adamant about not simply giving him away.

However, once Brock Nelson came off the board by getting traded to Colorado from the New York Islanders late in the evening on March 6, Brieres phone lit up.

All of a sudden I got a flurry of calls from different teams, he said.

By early afternoon the following day, hed sent Laughton, a 2025 fourth-rounder and a 2027 sixth-rounder to the Leafs for a 2027 first-rounder and prospect Nikita Grebenkin achieving the dual goals of doing right by both the Flyers and a valued contributor.

Its a person and a player that I respect tremendously, Briere said.

To send him to a good spot where he has a chance to win the Cup in his hometown, to help with the family, everything kind of came together.

It was pretty special to give him that opportunity.

Shortly after the deal was agreed upon, Briere and Laughton came together for their tear-filled discussion in the gym area at the teams practice facility.

Laughton said his initial feeling was excitement, but he also found himself reflecting on the people inside the organization who helped shape his journey from a 2010 first-round draft pick to a respected NHL veteran.

Advertisement You become so close with all of those guys, Laughton said.

Thats who you think about.

The chef there (Greg Sloane), he was one of my best buddies.

Those were the hard ones.

Some of the staff I lived beside there and everything like that, so that was tough.

Still not yet three full weeks later, hes trying to find his footing with the Leafs.

Laughton has been held without a point in eight games with his new team, seeing a potentially pressure-releasing goal wiped off the board in Nashville on Saturday because of a high stick.

But both he and coach Craig Berube saw encouraging signs in that game.

Laughton also said that having family around has helped keep him grounded through a tumultuous time, and he took advantage of a day off on Sunday to go visit his parents in Oakville and check in on his two cats.

Laughton will soon move back into his house in the area once a tenant vacates it.

Hes looking forward to getting back in the kitchen after an extended hotel stay.

And with the Stanley Cup playoffs on the horizon, hell continue working at getting more attuned to the daily rhythms of life with the Leafs.

The impression he left behind in Philadelphia was so strong that Briere says the organization is now brimming with people hoping to see the Stanley Cup come to Toronto this spring.

They are still pulling for Laughton.

We didnt want to get rid of him, Briere said.

Hes been a leader for us for the last few years, even through tough times.

Hes the guy thats the first one to check on his teammates and to make sure that everybody sticks together and pushes in the same direction.

I guess its been a little bit of a rocky start for him there in Toronto, but I have no worries about him.

Hes going to show up when its time and when it matters most.

(Top photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6227465/2025/03/25/flyers-scott-laughton-trade-briere/