 Leighton appeared in five games with the Wolves before he was re-assigned to the Roadrunners on December 14, 2017.On December 19, the Coyotes traded Leighton (along with a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft) to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Josh Archibald, Sean Maguire and a seventh-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.Leighton entered the 2018–19 season as a free agent.