'Starting to find my footing': Laughton feels like he's turning a corner with Leafs

The Maple Leafs practised at Ford Performance Centre on Monday.

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Scott Laughton feels like he's close to turning a corner with his new team. 

"It’s been crazy for sure, but I think I’m starting to find my footing," the Leafs forward, who was acquired in a trade deadline deal on March 7, said. "My game in Nashville was probably one of my better ones and [can] build on it."

Laughton came close to scoring his first goal with Toronto on Saturday, but his stick was above the crossbar when he deflected a puck past Predators goalie Juuse Saros in the first period. After a quick review, the officials waved it off. 

Laughton played the fewest minutes on the team (9:52) in Nashville, but made the most of his shifts. 

"It was his best game for sure," said head coach Craig Berube. "I know the goal was disallowed, but he was way more engaged in the game and provided more."

It's been a struggle for Laughton to gain traction since he was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal that saw a first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin going the other way. 

Through eight games with the Leafs, Laughton has yet to pick up a point and is minus-five.

"You want to produce," said Laughton, who has landed six shots on net in this stretch. "Even before the deadline I wasn’t really producing in Philly for a little bit so, yeah, you want to produce. But you want to play winning hockey and I’m going to continue to try and do that and go from there."

Laughton failed to hit the scoresheet in his final five games with the Flyers. He hasn't produced a point since Feb. 22, which was his first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Flyers coach John Tortorella told reporters in Philadelphia that the looming deadline seemed to weigh on a player, who had spent his entire career to that point in one NHL organization. 

Laughton is a native of Oakville, Ont. who grew up cheering for the Leafs. Berube believes an eagerness to please family and friends led Laughton to play tight and be too worried about making mistakes. 

"Walking down the street and getting noticed more than you would in Philly, that’s probably the biggest change for me," Laughton said. 

But not the only one. 

"Comfortability in the room, it’s different," said Laughton, who served as an alternate captain in Philadelphia. "You want to be a part of it, but not overstep, especially at the start."

Laughton started his Toronto tenure as the third-line centre, but was dropped to the fourth line after four games. At Monday's practice, he was back on the third line beside Max Domi and Nick Robertson. 

"Obviously coming to a new team, new systems, really new everything, always takes a little bit of adjusting time," said winger Mitch Marner. "He’s done a great job of it, learning the systems especially, it’s not an easy system to come in and just learn right away. He’s coming into his own with it and you kind of have seen that improvement the last couple games."

Laughton finished Saturday's game minus-two, but made progress nonetheless. 

"I was in on the forecheck," he noted. "Created a couple chances, got a goal called off, provided some energy. Obviously, you don’t want to be on the ice for a couple [goals], but thought I created more in the offensive zone. It’s not my sole job here, but I want to provide some offence and be a part of it."

Laughton produced 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games with the Flyers this season. 

Berube also coached Laughton in Philadelphia when he was just breaking into the league and recalled that the 30-year-old was often hard on himself. And that hasn't really changed. After his first game with the Leafs, Laughton was critical of his own performance. 

"I always put pressure on myself," Laughton said. "I think you have to a little bit in this league.  I’m pretty self-aware of what’s going on. I’ve been in the league long enough now where you know when you’re going and when you need to pick it up and things like. I’m pretty self-aware of that, but you just take it in stride and put your best foot forward every day and try and get better."

Laughton is still living in a hotel, but his wife and young son arrived in Toronto a couple days ago, which is helping things off the ice. 

"My family got in and got to see them two nights ago so that was nice and [can] kind of keep me grounded throughout this whole thing," he said.

Laughton rents out his place in Toronto during the season. The tenant is going to be moving out in the near future, which will allow him to feel more at home, literally. 

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Laughton continued to skate on the wing at Monday's practice. 

"Sometimes coming to a new team it’s less to think about, less to do," Berube explained. "I don’t want to put so much on him early on."

Laughton lined up on the wing in the last two games. He also bounced between centre and the wing in Philadelphia.

"I’m pretty comfortable at that [wing] position," he said. "I’ve probably played it for 20 or so games this year so, yeah, I’m comfortable there. A little less work in the D-zone, more room for offence, and cheating a little bit more, I would say, getting on offence. I’m used to it and excited to get going tomorrow."

Berube quickly pointed out that Laughton will still be used in the middle down the stretch.   

"It’s not that he can’t play centre," Berube stressed. "He’s played centre a lot in his career and he’s played wing. He’s played both, so I’m just trying to find some chemistry for him."

For now, Domi continues to be in the middle of the third line. 
 
"I love having two guys on a line that can take faceoffs," Berube said. "I think it’s important because draws get really important. They’re important now."

Laughton appreciates that Berube, like Tortorella, is up front about his thought process. 

"They’re pretty similar," Laughton said. "Torts gets a bad rap in the media, I think. He’s a players' coach. You can go in and talk to him at any time. Chief’s been really good with me in conversations and letting me know where I stand and what he wants out of me. That’s the biggest thing as a player, you want to know where you stand all the time and both those guys do a great job of it."

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Laughton will face his old team for the first time on Tuesday. 

"It’s going to be weird," he said. "But I was able to see the guys last night, take out all the trainers and all the support staff that was there the whole time [I was]. It’s going to be weird, but hopefully we beat’em."

Laughton and Flyers leading scorer Travis Konecny have long wondered what it would be like to go head-to-head.

"We’ve talked about it our whole careers," Laughton said with a grin. "We usually like to chirp a little bit and be in there so it will be pretty funny seeing him on the other side. Yeah, it’s another game,  maybe a little more important, but it’s going to be weird." 

The Flyers are sinking in the standings, but Konecny is almost always locked in. The London, Ont. native has two goals and an assist in his last two games. 

"He’s a little bit of a rat," said Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, who started his career with the Flyers during the 2016-17 season. "I played with him for a couple years in Philadelphia, so I got to know him pretty well. He’s a great player. He’s always getting in the mix, likes the net front. His offensive skills, I mean, he was on the 4 Nations team for Canada for a reason so he’s one of the better two-way players in the game."

Marner appreciated the chance to have Konecny on his side at the 4 Nations event. 

"He brings energy in a lot of different ways," said Marner, who was also teammates with Konecny at the 2016 World Juniors and 2017 World Championships. "He can do it whether scoring, making a big play or running around or hitting people or even on the penalty kill, he makes a big impact in that way as well. He does a lot of great things out there for his team and gotta be aware when he’s on the ice."

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There was an injury scare at the end of the Leafs practice as Stolarz swore loudly after taking a Domi shot up high. 

"It just got me in the neck," he said. "So, it’s part of the job description. It wasn’t too bad, just a little stinger."

How often does that happen? 

"Probably once a month," Stolarz said. "You kind of get used to tucking your chin and I kind of went at [the shot] a little bit so that probably wasn’t the play, but I’m alright. Everything’s fine."

After Joseph Woll took the loss on Saturday, Stolarz is expected to get the start on Tuesday. He snapped a personal four game losing streak (0-3-1) in his last start on Thursday at the New York Rangers. 

"It’s huge," he said of that win. "Any time you’re in a little bit of a skid you want to break out of it. As a goalie the name of the game is winning games. My job is to stop more pucks than the guy down at the other end and that night I did."

Stolarz turned aside 27 of 30 shots while Igor Shesterkin allowed four goals on 28 shots.

"I liked my game, where I was at, the last couple games and it just boiled down to making that one extra save," Stolarz said. "In New York, I kind of found that and was able to do that and keep it a two-goal lead for as long as possible. So, you know, for me it’s a building block."

The Leafs allowed a goal in the final minute after the Rangers pulled Shesterkin for the extra attacker otherwise the numbers would have looked even better for Stolarz. Nonethless, the .900 save percentage he posted at MSG was his best mark since a shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks on March 3.

"I thought he looked a lot more comfortable in his game," Berube said. "It was an important game for him, important game for our team, and I’m sure he can build off that."

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The Leafs squandered a 2-0 lead against the 30th-place Predators en route to a 5-2 loss on Saturday. 

"We should be pissed off," centre John Tavares told reporters after the defeat, which snapped a three-game winning streak. "We weren't playing the way that we talked about, our standard, and the level of play we expect on a nightly basis."

After enjoying a day off, Monday's practice did not start well either. In fact, Berube felt compelled to stop an early drill and implore the group to get going. 

"Wake the f—k up," he told the players. "You're not even getting checked out here and you can't put it on the tape? F—king do it right."

What was missing? 

"Execution," he said. "That’s all. Didn’t like the execution. Passing wasn’t very sharp."

Berube felt things improved a lot after his intervention.

"Yeah, it got better," he said. "It’s just the mindset. Coming in [after] a day off sometimes it's a little sleepy, and execution’s not good." 

The Leafs are looking to avoid another letdown against a non-playoff team. Philadelphia arrives in Toronto having lost five straight (0-4-1) while falling to 28th in the overall standings. They are 1-9-1 since March 2.

But the Leafs are motivated to bounce back after watching the Florida Panthers move two points ahead of them on Sunday. 

"There’s a little bitter taste in our mouth with how we finished that road trip," Marner said. "Not happy with how that fell apart. Obviously another opportunity here tomorrow. Gotta flip the page. This Philly team is going to test us in a lot of ways."

A regulation win on Tuesday will allow the Leafs to move back into first place in the Atlantic Division. 

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Marner scored Toronto's second goal on Saturday. It came immediately off a faceoff win by Auston Matthews. The quick-strike move was inspired by Marner's former Leafs linemates James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak. 

"I actually got to give a lot of credit out to Bozie and JvR for that one," Marner said. "Playing with those two guys for the years I did, I wouldn’t say it was a set play, but you know it was talked about a lot, trying to figure that out and do that. I think they scored a couple times on it themselves in the years they were together here."

Matthews had a tough night at the dot going 7-17 (41 per cent) on Saturday. He took 12 of his 17 faceoffs on Saturday night against top-line centre Ryan O'Reilly, but on the draw leading to the goal it was Colton Sissons, a winger, at the dot. 

"It just depends on the person you're going against," Matthews told reporters on Saturday. "He's strong so I had a draw inside. I just tried to time it quick and made sure that [Marner] knew that I was trying to come to him and it ended up working out. But, I mean, in the end, like, we lost so who cares?"

It was the only faceoff Matthews took against Sissons. 

"I just wanted to try something new," Marner said. "Tone was lucky enough to snap it back to me and then I tried and get it on and off quickly, and it worked out."

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Leafs lines at Monday's practice:

Knies - Matthews - Marner
McMann - Tavares - Nylander
Laughton - Domi - Robertson
Lorentz - Holmberg - Jarnkrok
Kampf

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Myers

Stolarz & Woll

Leafs power play units at Monday's practice: 

Marner
Matthews - Tavares - Nylander
Knies

Rielly
Domi - Robertson - Ekman-Larsson
McMann