VOORHEES, N.J. – The timing was almost eerie.
Just about five minutes before Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and assistant GM Brent Flahr were scheduled to discuss the upcoming NHL Draft, news of a somewhat major trade broke.
Word came down at 12 noon on Tuesday that the Flyers had picked up goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and the Flyers’ third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
To some, the move signals the Flyers might be starting to think of themselves as legitimate contenders. They already made the final eight this past season and they have a number of talented young players in the development pipeline.
Woll is clearly an upgrade over Ersson, who backed up No. 1 netminder Dan Vladar last season after holding that top rank in the 2024-25 campaign.
It’s the Flyers’ hope Woll can step in when Vladar isn’t playing and maintain a high level of goaltending.
“We thought it was a chance to improve the team,” Briere said at the Flyers Training Center. “Help them take another step. Sam has been a fantastic teammate, really loved in the room. We just felt in Sam’s case, it might be time for a change of scenery for him. Hopefully it gives him that chance to take another step. He’s a gamer but it was time for him to get a chance elsewhere.
“And we felt that Woll is a step forward for us. He’ll be able to help ‘Vlady’ in a tandem role.”
Ersson finished last season with the worst save percentage (30 games or more) in the NHL at .870 percent.
Meanwhile, Vladar was “forced” to play a career-high 52 games (his previous career high was 30)
“It was tough at times last year,” Briere said. “When Sam was struggling early in the season. . .but they (the coaches) did a pretty good job of building his confidence so he could help us in the second half like he did.
“But, yeah, we hope we’re not coming down the stretch with a tired goalie (Vladar). Better you can have both of them going. I think it helps prevent injuries, stays fresh and I think perform better. So we help that they can push each other that way.”
Woll, 27, was selected by the Maple Leafs in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft and has appeared in parts of five NHL seasons with Toronto.
He owns a career record of 63-43-9, along with a 2.94 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 117 regular-season games. Woll has also appeared in 14 Stanley Cup playoff games, posting a 6-6 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound goaltender is coming off his second consecutive season with 35 or more starts. In 2025-26, he recorded a 15-16-7 record, a career-high two shutouts, a 3.34 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage. On three different occasions this season, Woll had a season-high three-game win streak.
He is signed through 2027-28 at $3.66 million per year.
Prior to establishing himself in the NHL, Woll played parts of six seasons with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he compiled a 41-35-5 record.
Benoit, 27, is an undrafted defenseman who has played parts of six NHL seasons with the Anaheim Ducks (2020-23) and Toronto (2023-26). Over 352 career games, he has recorded six goals/36 points while averaging 17:05 of ice time per game. He has also appeared in 20 Stanley Cup playoff games, registering two points (one goal/two points), including an overtime-winning goal in Toronto’s first-round matchup against Ottawa in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We like the physicality that he brings,” Briere said. “We like the size (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and the skating aspect. He’s a really good skater.”
Briere didn’t want to give up on the 5-foot-9, 189-pound Andrae but obviously the Flyers need to get bigger on defense.
“We loved Emil’s competitive edge but it did make our defense a little smaller,” the GM said. “We have Jamie (Drysdale) and (Cam) York there. So the three of them wasn’t ideal. So I think it will probably be a little easier for the coaches having a guy like Simon Benoit back there to use.”
Both Woll and Benoit were not made available for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
>Vladar contract status
Vladar still has another year to go on the two-year contract he signed with the Flyers but both sides want to get an extension agreed upon before next season begins.
The $3.35-million deal he’s currently working on is well under what he should be making after last season’s remarkable performance.
“We’re working on it,” Briere said. “He said he was interested, the team is interested. We’re working toward something that can get done eventually but it’s not over the finish line yet.”
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