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Getting Flyered Up After a Backup Goaltender Trade
Published:
The Flyers traded Sam Ersson:
The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have acquired goaltender Joseph Woll [JOH-sehf WOHL] and defenseman Simon Benoit [SIGH-muhn BEHN-wah] from the Toronto Maple Leafs, in exchange for goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and Philadelphia’s third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Woll, 27 (7/12/1998), was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft and has appeared in parts of five NHL seasons with Toronto. He owns a career record of 63-43-9, along with a 2.94 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 117 regular-season games. Woll has also appeared in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games, posting a 6-6 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound goaltender is coming off his second consecutive season with 35 or more starts. In 2025-26, he recorded a 15-16-7 record, a career-high two shutouts, a 3.34 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage. On three different occasions this season, Woll had a season-high three-game win streak.
Prior to establishing himself in the NHL, Woll played parts of six seasons with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he compiled a 41-35-5 record.
Benoit, 27 (9/19/1998), is an undrafted defenseman who has played parts of six NHL seasons with the Anaheim Ducks (2020-23) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2023-26). Over 352 career games, he has recorded 36 points (6g-30a) while averaging 17:05 of ice time per game. He has also appeared in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games, registering two points (1g-1a), including an overtime-winning goal in Toronto’s first round matchup against Ottawa in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
During the 2025-26 season, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman recorded six assists in 73 games. He finished in the top two on the team in hits (194), marking his fifth-consecutive season he ranked first or second on his team in that category. Benoit also tied for second on Toronto with 114 blocked shots, marking four-straight seasons finishing among his club’s top five shot blockers.
Benoit has also played parts of five AHL seasons with the San Diego Gulls (2018-22), appearing in 160 games and recording 43 points (7g-36a), in addition to two games with the Toronto Marlies during the 2023-24 season. He has also collected four assists in 21 Calder Cup Playoff games.
As part of the transaction, goaltender Samuel Ersson and defenseman Emil Andrae will join the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ersson appeared in 143 games with the Flyers, posting a 65-50-17 record, a 3.01 goals-against average, and a .884 save percentage. Andrae skated in 107 games with Philadelphia, recording 20 points (3g-17a).
With Toronto acquiring Philadelphia’s third-round pick, the Flyers now hold four picks in the 2026 NHL Draft: a first-round pick (21st overall), a second-round pick (53rd overall), a sixth-round pick (181st overall), and a seventh-round pick (213th overall).
Both goaltenders could use a change of scenery. Ersson is coming off the worst of his Flyers seasons and Dan Vladar is going to be extended as the top guy. Woll’s numbers dipped as well on a Toronto team that was really bad this past season. So you’d think each team is hoping these guys improve with a clean slate in 2026 and 2027.
Woll is a year older than Ersson and has two more years on his contract at $3.6 million. Ersson is a restricted free agent. The Flyers take on a larger cap hit, but there’s nothing truly significant there in terms of financials.
As for Benoit, he’s a depth defenseman and bigger/physical third pair guy, basically the same kind of swap there with Andrae, who will get more of an opportunity with Toronto as a puck mover on the blue line. He’s undersized and the Flyers already have a couple of those guys in defense (Cam York and Jamie Drysdale)
The Flyers needed a decent backup behind Vladar, who carried a heavy workload this past season. It was his first year as a legitimate G1, and if you include the playoffs, he started more than twice his previous career high amount of games. So in comes Woll as an improvement in the backup department (we hope), and it allows you to better manage the regular season.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com