VOORHEES, N.J. — Since he took over nearly two years ago as the Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager, Daniel Briere has methodically subtracted players he believed didn’t fit in with what the team was building or the culture they were trying to instill. Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Tony DeAngelo, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee — all were sent packing.

The Flyers traded Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick. The Flyers are retaining 50% of Laughton's contract and sending a 2025 fourth-rounder and 2027 sixth-rounder to the Leafs. Philly is getting a 2027 first-rounder with a top-10 protection from the Leafs.

Losing Laughton and Kuzmenko will make it even tougher for the Flyers to climb back into a playoff spot. They’re 14th in the Eastern Conference (only eight teams make the postseason) and there only 19 games left to play. Sanheim agrees with Couturier that Laughton leaves behind quite a legacy.