 On December 26, just 11 days after being waived, Leighton returned to Raleigh, North Carolina, as the Flyers defeated Carolina 4–3 in a shootout.Leighton earned the start in goal for the Flyers on January 1 at the 2010 Winter Classic.He performed well on the national stage, but the Flyers ultimately fell to the Boston Bruins 2–1 in overtime.