Leafs’ Scott Laughton to return vs. Blue Jackets

The Toronto Maple Leafs are finally getting some good news on the injury front.

Veteran forward Scott Laughton has been activated off of injured reserve and is set to return to Toronto’s lineup for their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

Laughton, 31, had been out with an upper-body injury after taking a big hit from the Boston Bruins‘ Nikita Zadorov during the Maple Leafs’ 5-3 loss on November 8th.

The former Philadelphia Flyer also missed the first 13 games of the season with a lower-body injury, meaning he’s only played in two games for Toronto so far this season, in which he went pointless.

Toronto is still without top-line center Auston Matthews due to a lower-body injury, while bottom-six center Nicholas Roy is out with an upper-body injury. Laughton, who has center-wing flexibility, figures to step in right away as a pivot given the Leafs’ needs up the middle.

The Oakville, Ontario native was acquired from Philadelphia at last season’s trade deadline, along with two late-round draft picks, in exchange for forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick. In his 20 regular-season games for Toronto following the trade, Laughton put up only two goals and two assists for four points in just over 13 minutes of average ice time. In his 13 postseason games for Toronto, he had only two assists while averaging just under 14 minutes of ice time.

Toronto is certainly hoping Laughton steps up his level of contribution now that he’s back in the lineup, especially given the assets they parted with to get him. Selected by the Flyers in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Laughton’s career-best campaign came in 2022-23, when he tallied 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 78 games.

The Leafs will finish up a two-game homestand Thursday against the Blue Jackets, and then head out for a six-game road trip starting with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.