Kings Acquire Veteran Center from Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their fire sale at the buzzer of the NHL Trade Deadline, sending a veteran center to the Los Angeles Kings.

Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers (57) defends against Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton (24) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images | Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs and general manager Brad Treliving made it clear that their stance at the NHL Trade Deadline was to sell, as the playoffs are not in sight for them this season. And with selling in sight for Treliving, he decided to deal the team's veteran fourth-line center to the Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Kings are coming off of a recent win over the New York Islanders and acquired Scott Laughton from Toronto, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston. The Kings and general manager Ken Holland are getting a player that can slot in to their third line center role and be a mainstay there.

The #LAKings are acquiring Scott Laughton from the #leafs for a conditional 3rd-round pick

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 6, 2026

Laughton is also a player that can help the Kings on their penalty kill, as he had a big role there when he was with Toronto. Laughton is not a player that is going to do a lot when it comes to getting on the scoresheet, but he is a player that knows how to play the game the right way and has playoff experience if the Kings can get there.

As for Toronto dealing him, there had to be a decent chance that he was going to get traded before the deadline, as he was held out the other night for asset management purposes. Laughton did not have a whole ton of value, but the fact that Treliving was able to get a draft pick for him is a win for Toronto.

The trading of Laughton opens up a bigger opportunity for Easton Cowan

The Maple Leafs have been in a more recent mode of playing veterans over an approach of mixing veterans with younger players to provide some juice. But now that Treliving was able to deal Laughton, this could open the door for youngster Easton Cowan to see more playing time.

Jan 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Easton Cowan (53) reacts after scoring the game winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Cowan needs to see more ice time for the rest of the season now that Toronto unloaded Laughton while also trading Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken. Head coach Craig Berube should be able to find more ice time for Cowan now that the Maple Leafs are not playoff contenders.

Cowan can play with guys like Auston Matthews, William Nylander or even John Tavares. He likely needs to be in that top six role to see if the Maple Leafs can really find a spark there going into next season. Cowan has been a healthy scratch quite a bit this season, but that should change after the trades that were made.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!