Toronto Maple Leafs trade Woll in four-player deal

Welcome to the John Chayka era in Toronto.

The new Toronto Maple Leafs GM executed his first trade on Tuesday, dealing goaltender Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for goalie Samuel Ersson, defenceman Emil Andrae, and a 2026 third-round pick.

Over the last two seasons, Woll's .904 save percentage was tied for 22nd in the NHL among 73 active goaltenders, tying him with the likes of Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames) and Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars).

The Dardenne Prairie, Missouri native also helped the Leafs get to their best mark in the "Core Four" era, with his Game 6 shutout in the second round against the Florida Panthers in 2024-25. Toronto went on to lose Game 7.

Ersson was statistically one of the worst goalies in the NHL last season, rocking an .870 save percentage. The Flyers made the playoffs largely thanks to their starting goalie, Dan Vladar.

Over the past two seasons, Ersson's .878 save percentage is the second-worst mark in the NHL. That ranks ahead of only Alexander Georgiev, who went unsigned last offseason and ended up in the KHL.

Ersson is currently a restricted free agent after his two-year deal worth $1.45 million expired. AFP Analytics is projecting a one-year, show-me contract for Ersson at $1.6 million per season.

Woll has two years left on his deal, paying him $3.66 million per season. 

Toronto already has three other goaltenders under contract in 2026-27. When healthy, Anthony Stolarz is presumably the starter. He has four years left on his contract, worth $3.75 million per season. The 6-foot-7 Dennis Hildeby is also under contract for two more years at a $841,667 cap hit. He would require waivers to be sent to the AHL.

Toronto also has prospect Artur Akhtyamov under contract for three more years at a $900,000 cap hit. He is exempt from waivers next season.

Although the Maple Leafs appear to have made a downgrade in net, they were compensated for doing so in the deal.

Benoit, a burly third-pairing defenceman, graded out as one of the worst defencemen in hockey last season. According to Hockey Stat Cards, only two defencemen (Hadyn Fleury and Luke Schenn) had a Game Score worse than Benoit.

Emil Andrae, on the other hand, managed to help the Flyers control possession and limit chances when he was on the ice. The knock against Andrae is that he stands at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds. 

Benoit has one year left on his $1.35 million deal. Andrae is currently a restricted free agent. AFP Analytics projects his new contract to be worth about $2 million per season on a two-year deal.

Toronto also picked up a third-round pick (85th overall) in the deal, giving them eight total picks in the upcoming NHL Draft. This is the first time since 2018 that the Leafs will have four picks in the first three rounds.