Flyers deal Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson, draft pick to Leafs for Joseph Woll, Simon Benoît
The team made their first significant move of the offseason in Tuesday's deal with the Leafs.
The mystery over the future of two Flyers players has been solved.
The team traded goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round 2026 draft pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoît, the team announced Tuesday.
“We thought it was a chance to improve the team, help them take another step. Sam has been a fantastic teammate, really loved in the room, both him and Emil,” Brière said.
“We just felt, in Sam’s case, it’s one of those where it might be time for a change of scenery for him, and hopefully it gives him that chance to take another step. He did well in the second half last year, down the stretch. He’s a gamer, but I think it was time for him to get the points elsewhere, and we felt that Woll is a step forward for us, and we’ll be able to help [Dan Vladař] in a tandem role.”
With one more year on Dan Vladař’s current deal and a likely extension coming, Woll should slide in to Ersson’s backup role. He has two more years left on his current contract at $3.66 million annually.
Woll made his NHL debut in Nov. 2021 for the Leafs, and since then has seen his role steadily increase. In 117 games, he has put up a 2.94 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage, but he’s coming off a down year in 2025-26, putting up a career-worst 3.34 GAA and .899 save percentage in 39 appearances.
Ersson had his moments, and was even selected to Sweden’s Four Nations Faceoff team, but ultimately wasn’t as consistent as the Flyers wanted. In 143 appearances for Philadelphia, Ersson put up a .884 save percentage and a 3.01 GAA.
“We pushed the tandem thing, but the goalies have to perform, and I think it was tough at times last year when Sam was struggling early in the season,” Briere said. “...We hope that we’re not coming down the stretch with a tired goalie [again]. The better you can have both of them going, I think it helps prevent injuries and stays fresh, and they can, I think, perform better. We hope that they can push each other that way.”
Benoît is a bottom-pairing defenseman who started with the Anaheim Ducks before spending the last three seasons in Toronto. He played 73 games last year, averaging 17:18 minutes per game and picking up six assists.
“He might be; maybe he’s even higher up the lineup too. Why not?” Briere said when asked if Benoît would play on the bottom pair. “We like the physicality that he brings, and we like the size and the skating aspect, too; he’s a really good skater. Emil, we loved his competitive edge inside, but it did make our defense a little small at times; we have Jamie [Drysdale] and [Cam York] there, so the three of them wasn’t ideal. So I think it’s going to probably be a little easier for the coaches having a guy like Simon Benoît back there to use.”
Andrae, a lefty who was in and out of the Flyers’ third pair this season, is a restricted free agent this summer, like Ersson.
