The Toronto Maple Leafs are 6–2–2 in their last ten games, and are currently two points out of a playoff spot. The Leafs’ recent play has been a sharp contrast to what we’ve seen in the last two months. In large part, this is thanks to their bottom-six, who have been scoring goals.
Scott Laughton has been a revelation since returning from injury. After not jiving with the roster last season, Laughton has revitalized the fourth line. Are we finally seeing the Scott Laughton that was advertised?
Off on the wrong foot
When the Leafs acquired Laughton for their 2027 1st round pick and Nikita Grebenkin, the consensus was that this was a steep price to pay. Grebenkin had already endeared himself to Leafs fans in his short stint, both with his tenacious play and personality. With the history of playoff failures, it seemed the Leafs were more than a Laughton-type player away from truly contending.
Nevertheless, Laughton is a good player, and given that the Leafs were and are still in a “win now” mode, there were worse players to trade for. Laughton was coming from a bad Philadelphia Flyers team. Still, in 60 games, he scored 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points. The season prior, Laughton put up 39 points. In the 2022–23 season, Laughton had his best season, scoring 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points.
For a centre on your fourth line, who is an excellent penalty killer and can play a rougher game, a game that you’re trying to do more of, Laughton and the Leafs were a match made in heaven.
However, Laughton did not produce well coming to the Leafs. He only scored two goals and two assists for four points in 20 games last season. But it’s all about the playoffs, right? Leafs fans were expecting the 2019–20 playoff Laughton, where he scored five goals and four assists for nine points in 15 games. Instead, in the 13 playoff games last season, Laughton only registered two assists.
Suffice to say, Laughton, with the hefty price tag, got off on the wrong foot. Fortunately, Laughton came with an extra year on his deal at a cap hit of $1.5M ($1.5M was retained by the Flyers).
The 2025–26 season
Perhaps coming to a new city and playing a new system with new teammates can be a huge adjustment. After all, Laughton spent 11 seasons with the Flyers, was an assistant captain, and a fan favourite.
In his first training camp, Laughton looked very good. He and Steven Lorentz formed chemistry in the preseason, and it finally looked like the Leafs’ fourth line was coming together. However, Laughton missed the first 13 games of the regular season due to blocking a shot. The anticipation of the Laughton–Lorentz duo was cut short when Laughton was injured again in early November, further sidelining the veteran.
So when Laughton returned mid-November, the hope was to have a bottom-six that could finally produce. However, Laughton did not record a single point in the five games upon his return. Even though Laughton only played seven games up until this point this season, Leafs Nation’s patience was running thin.
A revitalized fourth line
In the December 2nd game against the Florida Panthers, where the Leafs beat the Panthers 4–1, Laughton scored his first goal of the season on an assist by Lorentz. Laughton scored by going to the net, being tough on the Panthers’ defender, and collecting the rebound. A classic gritty fourth-line goal. You can tell by his celebration that he needed that.
Laughton followed this up the very next game, two days later, in the 5–1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes by scoring against former Leafs starting goaltender, Frederik Andersen. The puck took a weird bounce off the stanchion and went right to Laughton, which fooled Andersen. They don’t ask “how”, they ask “how many”, and that makes two goals in two straight games.
What is not talked about enough is Laughton’s effectiveness as a penalty killer. He is so good at forcing players to make a quick decision with the puck and can stop cross-seam passes. Two days later, in the 2–1 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Laughton scored to tie the game on the penalty kill to force overtime.
Laughton has been a threat at both ends of the ice and has been an effective penalty killer. Since he’s been on this goal-scoring tear, the fourth line has found an identity. Even in the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the fourth line got extended offensive zone pressure.
Scott Laughton has revitalized the fourth line. This is the Scott Laughton that the Leafs were hoping to get. Whether he can maintain this level of play, time will tell.
