Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton is starting to feel more at home with his new team and has settled into his role in the lineup.

Transitioning over to a new team was not linear for him given he had left the only team he had ever known in the Philadelphia Flyers, but Laughton is getting comfortable each passing day with Craig Berube’s system.

“Back in and settled in. So everything’s going well,” Laughton told reporters ahead of Saturday’s morning skate. “ Starting to find my game a little bit and feeling better on the ice.  More energy and everything like that.  Systems are making sense.”

Part of the adjustment period is settling into a spot in the lineup where he can be effective and it seems to have come in being frequently paired up with Max Domi. The two had known each other well before Laughton arrived at the trade deadline and there have certainly been flashes of the potential the duo can bring when clicking offensively despite the numbers suggesting otherwise.

It helps that Domi and Laughton are comfortable taking faceoffs, which the latter is appreciative of having the luxury of positional flexibility on the third line.

“I think it’s nice. Faceoffs, I think in the game, whoever’s low usually plays low but it’s nice,” Laughton said. “Even (Calle Jarnkrok) can play low, taking faceoffs on his strong side. It’s nice to have that versatility, you come back in your zone, you’re comfortable there, you’re not looking for switches as much. I think it’s huge, I think it’s going to be huge going down the stretch here. A big faceoff or a big defensive play, you can have that comfortability in your own zone and coming out of it.”

While the offence has not quite been at the level many were anticipating upon his arrival, Laughton remains adamant that the chemistry between him and Domi will continue to improve. He even expressed hope that the two alongside Jarnkrok can chip in a couple of big goals for the Leafs in another critical game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“ Feel more energy out there. Feel more lively, feel like my game’s coming,” Laughton said, about his game turning around during the California road swing. “ I think the last road trip definitely helped. Getting on the road again, just getting away and being with the guys,  being more comfortable in the room and being yourself.  I think that’s come a long way for me and hopefully just continue to grow and have a good two weeks here playing well.”

Laughton will be looking to get his first Leaf goal at Scotiabank Arena and may get some inspiration from Alex Ovechkin, who tied Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader on Friday.

“I watched the highlights. Pretty cool,” Laughton said of Ovechkin tying Gretzky’s record. “ Everything that he’s done is really cool to see.  Excitement overall in the game and throughout the league, it’s cool to see.”