The Toronto Maple Leafs under GM John Chayka made their first significant move on Wednesday, trading goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Emil Andrae, goaltender Samuel Ersson, and a 2026 third-round pick.
Andrae was a 2020 second-round pick of the Flyers and has spent the last three seasons splitting time between AHL Lehigh Valley and the NHL. The 24-year-old played 61 games for Philadelphia last season, scoring 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists), and was a part-time player during the playoffs, playing only four of the Flyers 10 playoff games.
Ersson went 14-11-5 with a 3.12 GAA and .870 save % as a backup to starter Dan Vladar. In four seasons with Philadelphia, the 26-year-old has never posted a save percentage over .900.
The motivations for this deal were stated when Chayka faced the media for the first time last month, which was to get more mobile on the blueline. Andrae is small (5’9”, 189 lb.), but is a good skater and puck mover, and likely a fit as a bottom-pairing defenseman. Coming off his entry-level deal, he can be qualified and signed for around the same $1.35 million AAV that Benoit was to be paid next season.
Ersson is an RFA and needs to be qualified by June 30. He has 143 games of NHL experience and could be someone who floats between the Leafs and the AHL Marlies, but if Toronto does qualify him, he would have to clear waivers to be sent down to the American Hockey League.
With the trade, the Leafs clear just under $5 million in cap space, and that could be the primary reason for the deal, but in that, they have traded their best goaltender. While other moves are possible involving the netminding, Toronto’s current state between the pipes is tenuous at best.
The four-year, $15 million contract that former GM Brad Treliving extended Anthony Stolarz was second only to the Ryan Reaves contract as the worst signing of his tenure in Toronto. The 32-year-old was injured multiple times last season and cannot be depended on as a full-time starter. Moving Stolarz out for next to nothing would have been preferable to trading the younger, less injury-prone Woll, who has less term and AAV for a mediocre return.
This move does not rule out further moves involving their goaltending, but if the tandem next year is what is currently on the roster, the Leafs better hope that Dennis Hildeby is capable of being a 50-game NHL starter.
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