After a "Seamless" Fit, Scott Laughton Excited to Re-Sign in LA

Scott Laughton felt the fit in Los Angeles was seamless.

During his exit interview, after the 2025-26 season came to a close, Laughton left the door wide open to potentially coming back to the Kings. That was May, though and that's a wide window for things to either happen or change. With a light center market around the league and tons of teams needing players at that position, you wondered if the numbers would align between Laughton and the Kings. Would he get more years, more dollars – or both – by signing somewhere else?

He might’ve. But the Kings were his top option and when free agency opened, he was motivated to get a deal done.

“[The Kings] were for sure at the top of the list after the year ended, I thought the fit was seamless,” Laughton said. “The guys were amazing with me, the staff, everyone that works around it. I thought the moves that Kenny made definitely strengthened our team. You lose Kopi, you're not going to fill that role, leadership, play, everything that comes into it, but I thought Kenny did a really good job and I wanted to be part of it.”

Laughton was a good fit in Los Angeles.

The Kings were at a point of transition at the 2026 trade deadline. They were within reach of a playoff spot but they were far from a guarantee, as the season failed to meet expectations to that point. So, as the Kings moved on from multiple veteran players to net future assets, they still wanted to push to qualify. Insert Laughton, who came in and stabilized the third line center role, providing good value both on and off the ice. 

The decision to re-sign was one that both sides wanted, but the Kings find themselves in a similar position, from a longer-term planning standpoint. Transitional. The Kings are not rebuilding but to contend, they still need bigger improvements, higher in the lineup, that may not be available right now. Therefore, the contract was important to get right. To make those moves down the road, you can't continue to pay heavily for every position lower in the lineup. The Kings did a good job this summer of not investing too heavily in depth pieces, we could have created additional contracts that might handcuff them down the road. As the cap expands and other deals come off the books, the Kings are in a good long-term position to add those pieces over the next couple of years. Laughton, at this number, proved to be a good value.  

With Laughton, the term was important to him, finding a multi-year contract that gave he and his family stability. For the Kings, they were willing to commit on the three-year term but had to be mindful of the number on those three years. I think the deal that was signed probably came in a bit below market value, both on the term and the AAV. That’s a win for the organization but Laughton was also happy with it, to stay where he wanted to stay, with the security in doing so. 

“Even when I was back in Philly, I signed a five-year deal and I think security has always been important to me,” Laughton detailed. “I think my family absolutely loved it when we went down there and it was a short period of time, but after playing in the same place for 12 years and getting traded twice in the same calendar year, it's a pretty big whirlwind for you, especially with a young son. Definitely getting a little bit of term was on my mind and just trying to fit in the best I could in the group that's already there. Those guys were amazing with me, so yeah, I wanted to be a part of it and be a part of that group.”

In doing so, Laughton probably left a few dollars on the table. 

Suppose that is the benefit of the Kings, who were able to fit him into the mix while not strapping themselves elsewhere, short-term or long-term. The Kings signed four forwards who will likely be on the roster for Opening Night and with contracts like Laughton’s coming in at a favorable number and players like Mats Zuccarello agreeing to a bonus-laden contract, the pieces worked, without a ton of long-term commitment. 

“First and foremost, with how much both me, my wife and my son absolutely loved coming here, everyone from the front office taking care of your wife, taking care of your family away from the rink, I think that's a huge factor,” Laughton said of returning. “The on-ice component, too, obviously, we got swept by Colorado, but I think the culture was something that stuck out to me. There are certain moments throughout a year where it kind of sticks with you and there was a lot of those in the last couple months there and I kind of held on to those. The market is what it is and I was comfortable at what I signed, and really comfortable at where I'm going to be for the next three years, and really excited about it.”

Now, the conversation shifts to the on-ice fit going forward.

Laughton was acquired last season to fill a very specific role, centering the team’s third line. It’s too early to be projecting line combinations and in speaking with Peter Laviolette earlier this week, he sees it the same way. Let the dust settle and see who is actually on the roster at training camp before getting into that.

However, if we are to sleuth ahead a bit, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Laughton begin the season on that third line again, perhaps playing with forward Erik Haula, with one skating on the wing. With the pieces in place and what Laviolette said when discussing how he sees the makeup of his teams, that’s what makes the most sense to me. 

Wherever he slots in, it won’t be his first game under Laviolette. Back when he was a teenager, Laughton made his NHL debut in Philadelphia, when Laviolette was the Head Coach. He went through that first NHL training camp under Laviolette and remembered a very “up-tempo” training camp, focusing a ton on offensive-zone play. It was 14 years ago, after all, but the things that Laviolette expects certainly won’t be unfamiliar when the two reunite all these years later. 

“I know him a little bit, I played five games for him in  thelockout year, so I got a little glimpse of it,” Laughton said. “I was 18, so it was a long time ago, but I still remember his practices are up-tempo and a lot of offensive zone stuff like that……he's an excellent head coach and someone I'm excited to play for. I think guys can learn a lot and we’ll build it together as a group and we'll see what happens.”

The other part of what Laughton brings to the table is what he provides in the locker room. 

Laughton is an excellent culture guy and that was apparent within his first week in Los Angeles. Players take to him and he is someone who really helps in that area. I wrote this when the Kings signed him yesterday but I think the organization has lost a bit of that type of personality over the last two years and I think that players like Laughton and Mats Zuccarello will help in that area. Both players wore letters in previous stops and adding those types of people into the mix is always a benefit. 

Laughton was a beloved figure in Toronto and quickly established that same level of admiration in Los Angeles. With Anze Kopitar retiring, there are a number of voids to be filled, both on the ice and off it. The off-ice role is one that Laughton relishes and hopes to provide again the season, perhaps with a bit more of a voice too after Kopitar’s departure. 

“There's a ton of guys in that room who do a really good job, a veteran team, but that's kind of one of my things, I guess, is to try and do some of those things,” Laughton said. “I think as a voice in the locker room, I try and lead by example and bring the same energy and consistency every day. Every morning, you come to the rink, you show up and you be the same person. I learned that when I was 19 and 20, getting scratched a couple games in a row and you want to pout and everything like that, but it's the best league in the world. It's an absolute blessing to play in this league and I’m super grateful to be able to be able to go [back] to LA and be a part of it.”