The Ottawa Senators picked up restricted free agent goalie Samuel Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, sending back a 2027 fifth-round pick in a trade that feels more like a cap-clearing favor than a blockbuster. Ersson, 26, only landed in Toronto a few weeks ago as part of the Joseph Woll deal with Philadelphia, but the Leafs reportedly had no plans to give him the $1.6 million qualifying offer needed to keep his rights. Rather than let him hit unrestricted free agency on July 1 and get nothing back, they swapped him to Ottawa for basically pocket change.
Ottawa’s Goalie Carousel Keeps Spinning
The Senators know a thing or two about goaltending chaos. They used five different netminders last season, and while Linus Ullmark held things down as the starter, the backup spot was a mess. Leevi Merilainen and 38-year-old James Reimer split most of those duties, but Reimer is a pending UFA and Merilainen is also a restricted free agent. Ottawa made the playoffs anyway, but their depth in net was never convincing.
Ersson will get a shot to compete for that backup role. That’s a pretty low bar considering what the Sens ran out there last year. But the numbers say this might not be a quick fix.
Ersson’s Numbers Took a Real Dive
Last season was easily Ersson’s worst in the NHL. He went 14-11-5 with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .870 save percentage in 33 games for Philadelphia. Over parts of four seasons with the Flyers, he’s got a 65-50-17 record, seven shutouts, a 3.01 GAA and an .884 save percentage in 143 games. Not exactly the kind of resume that screams “future starter.”
The Swedish goalie looked like he had something going in 2023-24 when he started 51 games and posted a 23-19-7 record with four shutouts. But his save percentage slipped from .890 that year to .883 the next and then cratered to .870 last season. The Flyers added Daniel Vladar and Ersson started losing ice time.
There is one bright spot though. After the Olympic break, Ersson put up a .912 save percentage over his last nine outings. So maybe there’s something left if Ottawa can unlock it.
Ersson was a fifth-round pick by the Flyers in 2018 and stands 6-foot-3. He’s also played for Sweden internationally, winning bronze at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships and appearing in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
What This Means for Toronto’s Crease
For the Maple Leafs, this deal clears up the depth chart pretty cleanly. Anthony Stolarz is the guy heading into next season, with Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov in line to compete for NHL looks. Toronto also now holds two fifth-round picks in 2027 and a total of 14 selections across the next two drafts.
Not a bad return for a guy they weren’t going to keep anyway.
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