June 16, 2026
Nick Turchiaro/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Joseph Woll will form the Flyers' new goaltending tandem alongside Dan Vladar.
The Flyers were quick to upgrade their goaltending ahead of next season, and sized up their defense a bit, too.
The club traded for goalie Joseph Woll on Tuesday, sending now former backup Sam Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and its 2026 third-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers also received depth defenseman Simon Benoit in the deal.
Primarily, though, the move was for Woll, who will now form the other half of the Flyers' immediate goaltending tandem with Dan Vladar for the 2026-27 season.
"We thought it was a chance to improve the team, help them take another step," general manager Danny Brière said at the top of his pre-draft press conference at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. "Sam has been a fantastic teammate, really loved in the room, both him and Emil.
"We just felt, in Sam's case, it's one of those [situations] where it might be time for a change of scenery for him," Brière continued. "Hopefully it gives him that chance to take another step."
The 27-year-old Woll has been with Toronto for the past five years, and a gradually steadier presence for the past three, despite seemingly persistent goaltending issues for the Leafs.
This past season, Woll appeared in 39 games and started 38 of them, posting a 3.34 goals against average, and .899 save percentage, and a 15-16-7 record, though granted, during a disastrous season for the Leafs.
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
Woll did post a plus-.900 save percentage and a sub-3.00 GAA in the two seasons prior, however, so his collective body of work does present a more consistent back-up option than Ersson, who often struggled to find his consistency.
"He's a gamer," Brière said of Ersson, noting that the goaltender did step up down the stretch of the playoff push when Vladar needed a break. "But I think it was time for him to get the chance elsewhere. We felt that Woll is a step forward for us, and will be able to help Vlady in a tandem role."
Vladar took over the starting goaltender role for the Flyers, going on to start a career-high 51 games in the regular season, and then all 10 of their playoff games.
He's their No. 1 going forward, with a contract extension likely coming on July 1 (Brière danced around any specific updates on that), but the aim with bringing in Woll is to ease some of the burden, and maybe push Vladar even further.
"We hope that we're not coming down the stretch with a tired goalie," Brière said. "Better you can have both of them going. I think it helps prevent injuries, stay fresh, and they can perform better. So we hope that they can push each other that way."
Which, Brière hopes, pushes a still developing Flyers team further, too.
As for Benoit, he's a 6'4" left-shot blueliner who should figure to be the sixth or seventh defenseman right now.
Obviously, he brings size to the back end, which was a constant drawback for Andrae, who at 5'9", could move the puck well, but left the Flyers' defense lacking in physicality.
"We loved his competitive edge," Brière said of Andrae. "But it did make our defense a little small at times with having [Jamie Drysdale] and [Cam York] there, so the three of them wasn't ideal.
"So I think it's going to be a little easier for the coaches, having a guy like Simon Benoit back there to use."
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