Will Scott Laughton go to free agency, or will he re-sign with the Los Angeles Kings?
The Daily Faceoff: David Pagnotta, on DFO Rundown, when asked about LA Kings pending UFA director Scott Laughton. Initial negotiations should take place soon. The free agency market is thin, and he had been seeking around $5 million from the Maple Leafs before being traded to the Kings.
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Tyler Yaremchuk: “What about Scott Lawton and the LA Kings? I was looking at AFP Analytics, they updated their projections the other day, and like Jason Dickinson he was the guy they expected to make $5 million.
I talked about it on OilersNation Everyday (Wednesday), and people were like, 'No, look at his offense,' but I'm like, 'Hey, this could be the summer of sticker shock.' And the average person in the market, you think you know (Evgeni) Malkin is going back to Pittsburgh, and everything else is working itself out. As the leading centers in the market would be Dickinson and Laughton. “
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Pagnotta: “Yes, and yes, of course, and maybe I mean the Boone Jenner type, because he can play the role too. But yes, those are your boys.” (Charlie) Coyle is back up in Columbus. Like these guys.
And maybe you're looking at, I believe, before he was traded, I believe the number in the sweet spot was in and around $5 million a year in extension. Toronto didn't want to do it. They finally moved him. I think that was around the time of Bobby McMann, who was also in the $5.5 (million) a year range. And Toronto didn't want to do that. They took him to Sttletle.
Laughton has either met or will meet/talk with LA this week and is trying to get a good indication of what the team's direction is. He likes it there. He played well with that team.
I remember talking to him at the end of the regular season. He was happy, you know, where he was and the movement, and he was impressed with the room. With (Artemi) Panarin there and (Anze) Kopitar being a big part of that. Obviously, you know, he's not going to be there anymore.
But he seemed to fit in well in that room, and he knew they really liked him. They would like to keep him. I believe there is a common interest in doing something. You know, I just .. I don't know what the timeline is on that, but they met this week or they plan to meet this week to at least have that conversation and strengthen that, that hopefully strengthen that relationship for them.
But we'll see kind of where that goes. I know that, you know, you have a relationship with DJ Smith, the interim coach. They are currently busy with their search for a new bench manager. We'll see if that affects his decision, and maybe he waits until they decide, you know, who the new full-time coach is.
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But it sounds like there's definitely, a mutual interest on the part of Laughton and the Kings to keep that relationship going, and we'll kind of see how that plays out over the next little while.
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