The Los Angeles Kings made one of the biggest trades of the year, picking up Artemi Panarin. But injuries and a coach firing after that deal may have derailed their season. The Kings sold off Corey Perry on Friday, but did make a buying move, making a trade for Toronto Maple Leafs Scott Laughton ahead of the deadline.
“ROSTER MOVE. LA Kings have acquired Scott Laughton from Toronto,” The Mayor's Manor of Sirius XM first reported.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirmed the news and added the return, “3rd rounder.” Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported that the pick improves to a second-round pick if the Kings make the playoffs.
Laughton was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Maple Leafs at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. Toronto gave up a first-round pick for Laughton, but was not able to get that back a year later. The center was a last-second move ahead of this year's 3 p.m. deadline.
The Kings are three points behind the Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference wild-card race. Captain Anze Kopitar is retiring at the end of the season, so Los Angeles is trying to give him one last playoff run. With four consecutive first-round exits coming into this season, a deep run would be huge for this core.
The Maple Leafs were able to trade three forwards from their roster ahead of the deadline. They got a first-round pick and a fifth-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nicolas Roy on Thursday. Then on Friday, they got two mid-round picks from the Seattle Kraken for Bobby McMann and this haul from the Kings.
The Kings can re-sign Laughton now, or he will be a free agent on July 1. With Panarin locked in to a two-year extension and Kopitar's salary coming off the books, they will have salary coming off the books. And they need centers to replace Kopitar and improve the depth.
