Scott Laughton had become a popular name in trade speculation over the past month as the Philadelphia Flyers slumped and slid down the standings in the East Division.
But less than an hour before the trade deadline on Monday the Flyers announced a new long-term contract extension (five years, $15 million) for the center, essentially removing him from the trade block and keeping him in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future.
Laughton was a first-round draft pick (No. 20 overall) by the Flyers in 2012 and has played his entire career with the organization. He has developed into a solid third-line center and has seen his offense take a big jump over the past two years. Even though the Flyers’ season is slipping away from them this year, it is still a team that is going to have playoff hopes for next season so it makes sense that they would value keeping Laughton over a draft pick or long-shot prospect. The only surprise is how long the contract is.
The five-year term for a third-line center is a little eye-opening given the league-wide salary cap situation (a flat cap for right now) but it did probably reduce the yearly salary cap number. The $3 million per year cap hit is only a $700,000 raise from Laughton’s current cap value.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.