TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Emil Andrae, goaltender Samuel Ersson and a third-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for goaltender Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit
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Joseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a solid forward group over the last decade led by their ‘Core Four’ of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Unfortunately, that hasn’t amounted to much success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and last summer, that group were broken up by the departure of Marner, who left for the Vegas Golden Knights.
There are many reasons why this team struggled for genuine success in the post-season, but perhaps the biggest two were their lack of star power in net and the major lack of an electric puck-moving defenseman. They’ve got some steady play from their goaltending in recent times with Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, but heading into this off-season, many around the NHL expected them to make a big move in net.
GettyJoseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No one quite expected it to come this early in the off-season however, but on Tuesday, the team took to social media to announce a trade, as they have dealt Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shock move just days out from the 2026 NHL Draft.
TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Emil Andrae, goaltender Samuel Ersson and a third-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for goaltender Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit
Despite little talk around Woll, the team have traded him to the Flyers, with the team acquiring goaltender Samuel Ersson, former second-round pick Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. On top of Woll, the team are also sending blue liner Simon Benoit in the deal, with the trade sparking plenty of different emotions between Flyers and Maple Leafs fans, but most of all, the feeling around the trade is surprise and confusion.
Woll was originally a third-round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2016, and while it took him until 2023/24 to become a consistent player on their NHL roster, he’s been fantastic for them since arriving. In 117 games played for Toronto, Woll posted a .903 save percentage along with a 2.93 GAA, and when the team looked their most dangerous in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was with him in net.
Clearly though, the team believe the best path forward is with the likes of Anthony Stolarz in net, as they move Woll despite him playing in a team high 39 games this past season, with Dennis Hildeby, Cayden Primeau and Artur Akhytamov all getting playing time due to injuries.
As for the return for Toronto, there will be question marks over the move, but getting a steady goaltender with upside in Ersson to go along with a third-round pick and a 24-year-old defenseman that had 13 points this past season, there may be value there. Ultimately though, it’s the first big move to be made under new General Manager John Chayka, and given that the team have now moved out arguably the best goaltender in the organization, there’s going to be plenty of questions asked of him if the team don’t make supplemental moves in net over the next few months.
Nathan Smith Nathan Smith is a writer with Heavy Sports covering the NHL and MLB. He brings a decade of experience covering sports in North America for digital platforms such as PFSN, Athlon Sports and FanSided. More about Nathan Smith
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