Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Scott Laughton in a Blockbuster Deal

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally made the move expected, acquiring Scott Laughton from Philadelphia.

Chris Johnston reports the Philadelphia Flyers will be retaining 50% of Laughton's contract, now making $1.5M until 2026.

Laughton, 30, has 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games for the Philadelphia Flyers this season.

Laughton has been linked to Toronto as a common option to fill a need at center after months of speculation and rumors.

Jacob Stoller of Sportsnet reported that the return from Toronto to Philadelphia is forward Nikita Grebenkin and a first round pick.

According to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, the pick is for Toronto's 2027 first rounder and not their 2026 pick.

Additionally, Toronto has acquired a fourth and a sixth round pick from Philadelphia in the trade.

Grebenkin, 21, has appeared in seven games for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, his first in North America after having played his entire career in Russia.

Laughton quickly appeared on TSN's 'Tradecentre' special moments after news of the deal broke, expressing shock at the deal and that he hasn't yet spoken to Leafs GM Brad Treliving.

The Oakville, ON native called it "pretty surreal" to join the hometown Leafs after spending his entire 12-year NHL career in Philadelphia.

Toronto also finally gets what they need from the deadline though there are some pieces still needed such as some defensive depth as well as potentially a scoring winger.

The main piece however is finally acquired by Brad Treliving after so much speculation, and the fact that he didn't need to part with Fraser Minten and was able to swing Nikita Grebenkin should be commended.

Grebenkin was already a fan favorite in Toronto however, with the team looking to win-now and uncertainty about his fit for the next season potentially, the deal was too good to pass up.

For now, the Maple Leafs improve without really digging into their top pieces, and it still leaves some room for another deal or two to be made.