Joseph Woll and Simon Benoît are excited to be Flyers, and in Philly: ‘It’s just going to be magical’

After finishing his call with new Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka on June 16, Simon Benoît reached out to Trevor Zegras.

Benoît and Zegras, along with Jamie Drysdale, played together for the Anaheim Ducks for several seasons, and the band is now back together. Benoît and goalie Joseph Woll were acquired June 16 from the Leafs for goalie Sam Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a third-round 2026 draft pick.

“I reached out to Zee right after I got the call from Chayka, and I told him, as a joke, keep your head up in practices, because I’m coming,” he said in a news conference held via Zoom on Wednesday. “I think he was laughing about that one. I know them, I spent a lot of time with them on the ice, outside the ice, so I was pretty happy that I knew two guys already on the team.”

Benoît was pretty busy on his phone because he also called Woll. The call came at a good time because the goalie, who found out about the deal while going through his hockey card collection — “I’m a big hockey card collector,” he said — and didn’t know he’d have company in Philly.

“I was pretty sad to hear the news right when it happened, and went for a walk and actually had my buddy, Mr. Benoît, [he] gave me a call,” said Woll, also via Zoom. “... At that point, I was thinking about leaving the Leafs, and Bennie called me, and just excitement in his voice, I think, really helped, for me, see how an unbelievable opportunity this was.”

Woll’s phone was also busy. He got a message from Dan Vladař, his new goalie partner, and his mom, Shelly, mentioned she is friends with the mom of Flyers prospect Shane Vansaghi, who is from the St. Louis area like Woll’s family. Woll has already spoken to Flyers GM Danny Brière and coach Rick Tocchet, as has Benoît, and has chatted with goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh. He said that he and “Dilly” already see eye to eye on where his game can go.

“I would say one major focus is getting back to playing to my strengths as a goalie,” Woll said when asked what he wanted to work on this summer. “I think I have a very good technical base, and I think I’m an elite skater, and I have great athleticism.

“I think sometimes I don’t let that come out enough in situations, and so one of my major goals is to really get back to playing to my strengths and letting those shine.”

Woll is coming off the worst year of his three-plus-year career with a 3.34 goals-against average and .899 save percentage for a team that finished last in the Atlantic Division and is picking No. 1 in Friday’s draft. But over the course of his career, his numbers are pretty impressive: a 63-43-9 record, 2.94 GAA, and .906 save percentage. He is using the bad — like his disastrous turn for USA Hockey at World Championships in May — and the good, which includes impressive numbers in the postseason.

“I think one of the biggest things about goaltending, and probably like anything else in life, it’s a constant process that you’re honing your game over years, and the big benefits I find in goaltending are experience,” he said.

“And sometimes experience leads you to have positive outcomes, negative outcomes, and I think where a lot of the growth lies is in the negative outcomes, because that’s all a learning process, and learning and honing your game is a continual thing.”

Benoît, who will turn 28 around the start of training camp, will be honing his game on the blue line for the Flyers. A defensive defenseman, he prides himself on eating pucks, helping to clear out the front of the net, killing penalties, and being hard to play against. Considered a team-first guy, he has 36 points across 352 NHL games and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves if needed.

As of Wednesday, the Flyers’ defense does look a little crowded with Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Drysdale, and Nick Seeler expected to be slotted in. Then there is the expectation that David Jiříček, Oliver Bonk, Ty Murchison, and Hunter McDonald will push for jobs; Jiříček will not have to clear waivers if he gets sent down.

“My whole career has been a battle. It’s not something new for me. I’ve been battling since I came in the league,” Benoît said. “Those spots are never for granted. You have to fight every year to stay in the lineup, every game, every practice, to be able to play that game.

“It’s such an unbelievable game that for me, having a chance to still compete and fight for those spots and play every night and wear the jersey to play in the National [Hockey League] is just a great opportunity.”

Where he plays in the lineup and if there is space is to be determined as the NHL’s officially in trade mode right now. Regardless, Benoît is excited to be in Philly — and on the same side as the fans here.

“I always felt playing in the barn where the fans are just crazy, it brings your emotion up, right? So having the chance to play for fans that are going to push this in the same direction as you, it’s just going to be magical,” he said.

“I feel like having that emotion from the stands is going to transfer to the ice for sure. Well, that’s how I feed. I feed on emotion. So for me, having the fans yelling every time [I] make a hit and stuff, it’s just better. It just feels like a playoff game every single game. So it’s fun.”