The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a 2026 third round pick.
Puck Pedia: To the Flyers
Joseph Woll 27 y/o G, Yr 2/3 $3.67MSimon Benoit 27 y/o D, Yr 3/3 $1.35M
To the Maple Leafs
Samuel Ersson 26 y/o G, RFAEmil Andrae 24 y/o D, RFA ’26 3rd
Charlie O’Connor: Flyers GM Danny Briere on Ersson: “Sam has been a fantastic teammate, really loved in the room. In Sam’s case, it might be time for a change of scenery for him. Hopefully it gives him that chance to take another step.”
NHL Rumors: Oilers, and the Golden Knights
Thoughts from the media
James Mirtle: “A very confusing trade…”
David Alter: “Key to this deal for #Leafs is Andrae, a mobile, puck-moving, middle-pairing NHL defenseman who can elevate a secondary power-play unit. At 5-foot-9, 24-year-old, this begins the reshaping of Toronto’s D.”
Matt Larkin: “Fascinating first trade of the Chayka era. I assume they see something in Andrae’s underlyings they like. They did have that goalie surplus, but return feels light to me. Nice haul for Flyers, and a strong tandem with Vladar/Woll going forward…”
Arun Srinivasan: “A bit of a surprise, but the Maple Leafs are dealing from a position of strength, as Akhtyamov and Hildeby are ready for the NHL. Thought they’d get more for Woll, but I like Emil Andrae as part of an effort to strengthen the d-core.”
Justin Bourne: “Probably speaks more to Leafs not having a belief in the oft-unavailable (but very good!) Woll, freeing up options/room for the AHL goalies? Benoit is older than Andrae by a few years, and team clearly wanted to move to better skating/puck-moving D. Third pair guy.”
Charlie O’Connor: “Yeah, my first instinct is I like it. Woll was always one of my preferred options to acquire as the No. 2 behind Vladar. Ersson may not have even gotten qualified. I like Andrae, but I always assumed he was getting moved this summer.”
Anthony Di Marco: “Had been hearing the Flyers like Woll for awhile. Good deal for a goalie that, despite some injury concerns, has shown a lot of talent in the past. Also finally puts an end to the Emil Andrae experiment.”
NHL Rumors: Chicago Blackhawks, and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Charlie O’Connor: On Benoit: “I’m not a huge fan. Pretty bad underlying metrics, but he’s big and physical. Hope he gets used as the No. 7. If he’s the new Juulsen, it works.”
Dobber Hockey: “Emil Andrae was a good get. Small, but criminally underrated. Creative with the puck. Super-smart. High upside, but carries risk. This was literally the type of acquisition I felt they needed (that they could actually pull off, not some dreamy pie in the sky idea)”
Dobber Hockey: “As for Ersson, I don’t think he’s an NHL goaltender. Joseph Woll is. However, Woll is injury prone and you need to be able to count on a goalie actually playing when it matters. Still, trading him leaves the Leafs with another injury prone goalie in Stolarz, and a weak backup in Ersson. So you have to think that another deal will happen this summer to address that.
Or, since Hildeby is ready, it’s a nice situation where he can slot in as a backup, no pressure, and take the reins when the inevitable Stolarz injury crops up. So on second thought, perhaps another deal is not forthcoming…”
Player cards
Joseph Woll, acquired by PHI, is a goalie pic.twitter.com/27cOihrIbC
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 16, 2026
Simon Benoit, acquired by PHI, is a big physical depth defenceman who can defend the slot sometimes but also chases hits in his own zone and has a lot of trouble getting the puck out. pic.twitter.com/TiW8toSE8W
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 16, 2026
Could an Elias Pettersson Trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins Work for Both Sides?
Simon Benoit, acquired by PHI, is a big physical depth defenceman who can defend the slot sometimes but also chases hits in his own zone and has a lot of trouble getting the puck out. pic.twitter.com/TiW8toSE8W
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 16, 2026
Emil Andrae, acquired by TOR, is a two-way defenceman who has done well in sheltered minutes. A very high-motor and involved player who zooms around the ice a bunch and even throws some hits but…….. he is 5’9. pic.twitter.com/2f07TuBNcE
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 16, 2026
