Leafs Deal Woll, Benoit to Flyers for Ersson, Andrae in First Big Trade of Summer

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still searching for a head coach. But whoever gets the gig will be working with a reshuffled roster after the first major trade of the 2026 offseason went down.

The Leafs sent goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday in exchange for defenseman Emil Andrae, goalie Samuel Ersson and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, according to a team release.

Woll is the headline piece here. He took a personal leave of absence early in the 2025-26 season before returning to post a 15-16-7 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and .899 save percentage over 39 starts. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story — he was far sharper in 2024-25, going 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .909 save percentage. The Leafs are betting on Ersson replacing that level of play.

In Philadelphia, Woll slides in as the likely backup to Dan Vladar, who just finished his first season as the Flyers’ primary starter and has one year left on his contract. Vladar was solid in the regular season but struggled during the playoffs, a reality that exposed the Flyers’ lack of a reliable alternative — an issue the Carolina Hurricanes also faced this postseason.

That weakness is now addressed. By adding Woll, the Flyers have created a legitimate two-goalie tandem for the first time in years. If Vladar falters again, Philadelphia can turn to a netminder who has proven he can handle a heavier workload.

Benoit gives the Flyers a physical, no-nonsense defender who brings little offensive punch but fills a role on the third pairing. He’ll add some grit to a blue line that needed it.

The biggest question mark in the deal is Ersson. After two seasons as Philadelphia’s primary starter — 2023-24 and 2024-25 — he slid behind Vladar this past season and struggled mightily. The Leafs are banking on a bounce-back from a guy who, at his best, was a capable NHL starter. But that version of Ersson hasn’t been seen in a while.

Toronto also picks up Andrae, a 23-year-old Swedish defenseman who’s shown flashes of offensive instinct but hasn’t locked down a full-time NHL role. He could compete for a spot in the Leafs’ bottom pair.

This trade reshapes both teams’ goaltending situations at a critical moment. The Flyers are aiming for back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2011-12. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are still without a head coach and now have a clearer — if riskier — picture of their roster heading into the summer.