In this edition of our 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers player grading series, we take a look at 29-year-old center Scott Laughton. What grade does he deserve?
Laughton Has Immense Struggles
On the surface, it would seem like Laughton had a decent season. He had 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points in 82 contests, and his minus-9 rating wasn’t all that bad. Averaging 15:39 of ice time, it would seem like he was a solid middle-six player for the Orange and Black. Taking a deeper look at it, though, that just wasn’t the case at all.
For starters, he only shot at a 7.8 percent rate, so his offensive efficiency was not the greatest. Based on the eye test, he just didn’t look as involved offensively as he has in the past. He has more skill than he sometimes gets credit for, but he definitely took a step back on that front – he did little to stand out positively. He had his moments, but he just wasn’t as good offensively as his points might suggest.
Getting to one of his bigger issues, Laughton couldn’t stay out of the box. He took needless penalties far too often, finishing with a team-leading 27 minor penalties. Among all of the 924 NHL skaters in 2023-24, he was tied for the 29th-most minor penalties taken. Discipline was definitely an issue for him – not even the Flyers’ fourth-best penalty kill could come through every time.
Related: Flyers’ Penalty Kill Among the Best in NHL History
Defensively, Laughton was one of the worst players in the league. Out of the NHL’s 182 skaters who had at least 1,000 minutes of ice time, Laughton was 169th in expected goals percentage (xGF%) at 43.1 percent. Furthermore, he ranked 141st in expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) at 3.23. Combining putrid on-ice defense with below-average offense hurt the entire team.
Of the Flyers’ 20 non-Laughton skaters who appeared in at least 20 games in 2023-24, not a single one of them had a better even-strength xGF% with the centerman than without him. On-ice stats aren’t the be-all-end-all for a player, but it is certainly not a good sight that every single notable athlete on the team saw regression the moment he was on the ice. In this sense, the Flyers might have made the playoffs if they just didn’t play him at all. They were a dominant team at generating scoring opportunities unless Laughton was on the ice.
While Laughton is valuable as a locker-room presence, he is not the on-ice asset he used to be. The Flyers tried playing him everywhere from the first to the fourth line, but he wasn’t very effective anywhere he went. Instead of being a middle-six forward, he seems to be more fit as a low-end depth player. Considering he is making $3 million on his contract through the 2025-26 season, that’s an awful lot to pay for someone best suited to be a 13th forward.
Laughton’s struggles have been ongoing for a while now, and it’s unfortunate to see, as he once was a solid player. In 2020-21 when he signed his extension, he had a 2.12 xGA/60 and a 52.6 xGF%. Scoring 20 points in 53 contests to go along with that, he deserved a pay raise. It just so happens that he hasn’t been very good ever since.
Laughton’s Final Grade
With everything considered, an F-grade seems to be justified. It might seem a bit harsh, but he was sixth on the Flyers in total ice time – if head coach John Tortorella played him less, his grade would have been slightly better. Even with extra opportunities and going up against middle-of-the-line competition, he had some of the worst numbers in the league. While he had the second-highest point total of his career, it wasn’t good enough to offset his issues. He seems to have fallen off a cliff play-wise.