Scott Laughton and Brayden Schenn: Somethings Got to Give

How Brayden Schenn and Scott Laughton do not make sense to have on the same roster

By: Matt Bernstein

Topics: Scott Laughton, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier

If Scott Laughton turns out to be anything more than a fourth line NHL center, then it simply does not make sense for the Flyers to keep him and Brayden Schenn. This statement has many conditions, but is essentially just a prediction of one of the dilemmas the Flyers will face in two years when they will need to re-sign a number of top players. For many reasons Schenn and Laughton do not make sense to keep on the same roster, but ideally it comes down to the fact that Schenn is a second line center and Laughton has the potential to be a similar, but probably not as offensively productive player. Both players still have potential and good trade value and the promotion of one could diminish the value of the other, and since the Flyers do have plenty of areas that need improvement, moving a young center who could replaced internally, or the best prospect of the organization who plays an already addressed position, could generate a return that in the end would be the smartest hockey move.

First of all, by all indications Laughton has potential to be a second/third line center who has scoring capabilities. If Laughton projected to be a fourth line role player then by all means he and Schenn could coexist, but the fact remains that Giroux will be the top line center and Couturier has solidified himself as a shutdown center which leaves Brayden Schenn and the center of the future for the Flyers, Scott Laughton to battle for a spot in the upcoming years.

A simple solution would be to move one of these players to wing. However, both players are natural centers and while Schenn did get time on LW last year he looked very uncomfortable. If for some reason Schenn could solidify his role as a LW then this issue could be solved, but with Lecavalier already playing out of position (unless he plays on the fourth line) it would not be ideal for the Flyers to have so many forwards playing out of position. As of right now Schenn is in an ideal position to succeed. He plays on the Flyers second scoring line and plays most of the time in the offensive zone (33.9%) and also plays against lower competition than that of the first or third lines. What I’m trying to get at here is that if Schenn has a great year this season or the next he could find himself getting a long-term deal, if not the Flyers could likely sign the cheaper Laughton instead. All of this is down the road thinking, but since the Flyers have notable cap issues it would not be surprising if a move like this happens in two years especially since Voracek, B.Schenn, Raffl, and Couturier all have to be signed in the same year.

The smartest option for the Flyers would be to trade one player or the other at the end of the upcoming season. It simply would not make sense to keep Laughton on as a fourth line center especially if the Flyers were deficient in other areas (defense, wingers). The smart option would be for the Flyers to use this year to evaluate Laughton’s potential. If in their minds he is ready to play second/third line minutes then move Schenn. He could probably fetch more than Laughton in a trade and he could likely get a first round pick in next years draft or a later round pick and a young established winger/defenseman. I know by that point Schenn would only be 23 and arguably still not at the peak of his career, but the Flyers have Giroux and Couturier so Schenn already has a preconditioned ceiling for the Flyers, thus in my eyes he is expendable. The other option, of course, would be to move Laughton. Right now it would probably make more sense to move Laughton since he is probably the best prospect in the Flyers organization and has still not managed to play solid NHL minutes. If the Flyers are to trade Laughton they would be best not to use him on the fourth line this year as he would probably generate better offers from a solid AHL season with occassional call-ups. I know teams do not shelter their prospects to preserve trade value but in this case if it were to happen, it would be an added plus.

In the end, I think that as long as one player is moved for a pick/prospect/young forward or defenseman then the Flyers will come out ahead. I am a fan of amassing young talent, but I also value roster development and team needs and the fact remains that if Scott Laughton becomes anything more than a fourth line talent, and the Flyers are still deficient on the wing or on defense, than it would not make sense for the Flyers to move forward with both B.Schenn and Scott Laughton on the same roster when one of those players, if moved, could help the Flyers in other areas.