If forward Scott Laughton had his way, he wouldn’t become an unrestricted free agent next summer. In a recent interview with Nick Barden of The Hockey News, Laughton shared his hope that extension negotiations with the Toronto Maple Leafs would come. During last deadline season, the Maple Leafs acquired Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2027 first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin. Although he didn’t contribute offensively as much as he would have liked to (two goals and two assists in 20 games), Laughton was a stellar addition on the defensive side of the puck, securing a 54.7% success rate in the faceoff dot and a 92.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength. This summer, the acquisition of Nicolas Roy from the Vegas Golden Knights as part of the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade might prevent Laughton from replicating his performance from the 2022-23 season with the Flyers. However, his defensive value should still be significant for the Maple Leafs moving forward. Specifically, in the interview, Laugh
