Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton acknowledged he was just having a little fun when he posted a photo imitating "The Last Supper" to his social media Friday night - one week before the trade deadline.
"We were joking around, I think you kinda got to keep it light at this time of year," he said Saturday. "Joking around that it was my last time (with the Flyers) on the road. (Teammate Erik Johnson) was kind of poking fun at me, so we re-created a little picture.
"I think when you're in (trade) rumors for five years straight, it's nice to get some people back with a little bit of trolling."
Laughton added that the moment of parodying Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece came together "pretty quick" when he and some of his teammates took the trainers out to dinner in Winnipeg.
"It probably went a little more viral than I thought it would," he said.
Flyers head coach John Tortorella was a big fan of Laughton's picture.
"I thought it was great," he said with a chuckle. "I saw it late last night. I'm sure (general manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey ops Keith Jones) got a lot of phone calls once that thing came out from you knuckleheads buying into it. ... I thought it was fantastic.
"That's hockey right there."
Laughton's name has been firmly entrenched in the rumor mill as many contending teams covet a capable center. He is under contract for one more season with a $3-million cap hit.
The 30-year-old has 11 goals and 27 points in 58 outings this season. Laughton has spent his entire 12-year career with the Flyers after being drafted by the club with the 20th overall pick in 2012.
Philadelphia has already traded forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost this season, but moving Laughton isn't guaranteed. A deal wasn't imminent as of Saturday afternoon, a source told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.
The Flyers, meanwhile, have won four of their past five games. They beat the league-leading Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in a shootout Saturday.
"We play hard," Tortorella said postgame. "I never have to worry about how hard we're going to play. ... You've seen us when we're not connected, we're awful. When we're connected and hard, you just find a way.
"You don't win them all, but you're always going to be able to compete. I thought that's what happened tonight."
Philadelphia sits four points out of a wild-card spot with a 27-26-8 record.
