The Philadelphia Flyers entered their first offseason in a while not needing to search for a starting goaltender. They struck gold with Dan Vladar last summer, and they are reportedly set to give him a five-year contract extension. There was uncertainty surrounding their backup goaltending situation, with Samuel Ersson, who was set to hit free agency. With the Flyers trying to retain Vladar and forward Trevor Zegras, Ersson wasn't necessarily a top priority.
On Tuesday, the Flyers decided to move on from Ersson and bring in a new backup behind Vladar. The Flyers traded Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a 2026 third-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit.
BREAKING: We have acquired goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from Toronto in exchange for goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 16, 2026
This is the first big move of the NHL after the Stanley Cup Final. With the Flyers making it to the second round of the playoffs, general manager Danny Briere decided that shoring up his goaltending tandem was going to help them entering this season.
Flyers bolster goaltending tandem after trading for Joseph Woll from Maple Leafs
Woll spent the first 10 years of his career with the Maple Leafs, whom they drafted in the third-round during that time. Ironically, the Flyers had a chance to select Woll in that year's draft. Of course, that never happened. But now, they get Woll to ensure they have stability behind Vladar.
Woll showed promise during his time in Toronto, perhaps his best showing being in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In three games, Woll recorded a .964 save percentage, a 0.86 goals allowed average, and a 2-0 starting record. In the 2024-25 season, Woll posted a .909 save percentage, a 2.73 goals allowed average, and a 27-14-1record in 42 games (41 starts). As for this past season, Woll put up a 15-16-7 record, a 3.34 goals allowed average, and a .898 save percentage. So, those are not as great of numbers as he had during the 2024 playoff run and the 2024-25 regular season campaign, but the one thing you can't pass on, especially in a backup goaltending situation, is starting experience.
As for Ersson, his numbers weren't that great, especially when it came to save percentage. During his four seasons with the team, Ersson never had a save percentage over .900. Having to commit a new deal with Ersson wasn't an ideal spot to be put in, and the goaltending options in free agency weren't much better.
By bringing in Woll, they have an incredible goalie tandem to help them throughout next season and the playoffs. As fans know, Vladar has shown that he can play the role of hero, especially during the playoffs (.922 save percentage, 2.18 goals allowed average in 10 games). But for the Flyers, you don't want to rely on him too much. To make sure he's on the top of his game, there needed to be a quality backup option on the roster. They get that now in Woll.
