Of course you're skeptical, it doesn't fit your narrative. I'm sure the insiders just made it up for the hell of it
Experience tells me when something sounds too good to be true, it usually isn't.
Given Laughton was on the trade block in 2021, didn't sound like the FO was that in love - unless you think Briere/Torts suddenly became infatuated!
Then why this?
As the 2024 NHL trade deadline approached, Scott Laughton of the Philadelphia Flyers was a player speculated to be on the radar of the Buffalo Sabres. That speculation increasingly grew into strong hinting from Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, whether on the “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” or his daily radio...
buffalohockeynow.com
If Briere had really been offered a 1st and 2nd, you think he'd have hesitated?
My suspicion was there may have been a 1st and 2nd mentioned, but as part of a larger deal that included Laughton as well as combinations of Sanheim, Hayes and salary dumps.
"If the deal eventually gets finalized, it sounds like it will be much smaller than originally discussed. Names like Sanheim,
Tony DeAngelo and
Scott Laughton were previously mentioned, but now it could just be Hayes."
Tweet from St Louis reporter:
Andy Strickland
@andystrickland
Laughton, Sanheim, Deangelo , In addition to Hayes, are all players who could be on move from Flyers.
He's still pretty much the same player he's been, a marginal 3C, a solid 4C, better at LW, a top PK player. Now with only one year left on his deal after this season. He should have similar trade value, which I expect is something on the order of a 2026 2nd and 2025 3rd. To get a 1st, Flyers would have to send an asset back and/or take a salary dump, similar to the Walker trade.