NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers' Scott Laughton to the Washington Capitals?

The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to move Scott Laughton ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, and according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, he could see Laughton ending up with the Washington Capitals.

Seravalli, one of the games most in-tune hockey insiders released a trade matchmaker piece on Friday and laid out what a deal could look like centered around Laughton for these two teams. The Capitals would receive the 30-year-old third-line centre, with the Capitals receiving a 2026 first-round pick. For what it's worth, the 2026 NHL Draft is loaded with talent, and is considered to be a much deeper draft than 2025.

We’ve heard Toronto and Winnipeg connected, but what are the Metropolitan-leading Capitals cooking up? They have a 10-point lead in the division and they likely want to take a run at another Stanley Cup with Alex Ovechkin. They’re in the market for a third-line center to upgrade on Lars Eller and Laughton is a quality fit. Perhaps Washington could play the deadline more conservatively than this, but it seems to fit on a number of levels. Laughton, 30, is not a rental. They do not need to have the Flyers retain money – he can fit this season and next at $3 million.

Laughton has recorded 26 points in 54 games this season, and is an attractive shut-down piece for contending teams, who love his bulldog mentality and willingness to sacrifice for his team.

The Flyers entered the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament break with a 24-26-7 record, sitting second last in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile the Capitals have surprised many this season and are atop the Metropolitan Division with a 36-11-8 record, and with surely be adding ahead of the trade deadline as they look to get Alex Ovechkin another Stanley Cup.

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