Maple Leafs Trade Grades: Toronto Deals Joseph Woll, Simon Benoit to Flyers

The Maple Leafs traded Joseph Woll to the Flyers. | Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

The Maple Leafs aren’t hesitating to make some moves under new GM John Chayka, and they pulled the trigger on a trade with the Flyers on Tuesday.

The Maple Leafs bid farewell to goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit, dealing the duo to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick, goaltender Samuel Ersson and defenseman Emil Andrae. Just 10 days before the ‘26 draft, where the Maple Leafs already own the No. 1 pick, Chayka managed to add another mid-round selection.

It’s the first significant move of the Chayka era for the Maple Leafs, so we’re going to grade how the team fared in the trade.

Maple Leafs

Toronto freed up a bit of cap space by parting ways with Woll and Benoit. Woll, 26, was due to make $3.66 million over the next two seasons. Benoit, 27, was set to make $1.35 million in 2026-27, which is the final year of his contract.

The Maple Leafs had somewhat of a logjam at the goalie position, so offloading Woll, who is the best player in this trade, won’t be a big loss for the team. Woll had a rough season in 2025-26, when he surrendered 3.34 goals per game and had a save percentage of .898. Of course, Toronto’s defense was at least partially responsible for his poor showing. In the two previous seasons, Woll had save percentages of .907 and .909, while surrendering fewer than two goals per game.

With Woll heading out, Toronto is set to move forth with Anthony Stolarz as its starting goaltender. Ersson, who is on an expiring contract, will likely be released. The backup goalie position will likely be given to Dennis Hildeby, who impressed in a 20-game sample last year, while Artur Akhymatov will be the No. 3 goalie.

As for the defensive swap, Benoit had one of his worst seasons as a pro last year. He was a -22 across 73 games and recorded just six points. He’ll make way for Andrae, who figures to slot in as a third-liner on the left side of the Maple Leafs’ defense. Andrae is definitely an improvement over Benoit. With the Flyers last season, he appeared in 63 games and had 13 points and was a +15 while skating 15:20 per night. Andrae is due to be a restricted free agent this offseason after the expiration of his entry-level contract, which will make him a low-cost addition for Toronto, who can retain his right for $874,125.

This is a trade that will free up some cap space for the Maple Leafs, with roughly $4.9 million coming off the books. That should enable them to be a bit more aggressive in free agency as they look to quickly re-tool and return to the postseason in 2026-27.

Grade: B+

Flyers

As for the Flyers, they’ve locked down an excellent No. 2 to split goaltending duties with Dan Vladar, who is expected to sign a long-term extension with the team after a solid season in 2025-26. Vladar has been a bit inconsistent in goal throughout his career, so if he struggles for an extended stretch, Woll will be a reliable option to bide the Flyers over. Woll has been a quality starter in the past, at least when healthy, so adding him to the mix behind Vladar is an invaluable addition for Philadelphia. Plus, Ersson was one of the worst goalies in hockey over the last few seasons, so Woll is a significant upgrade in that regard, too.

Benoit will likely be a rental addition for Philadelphia, with one year remaining on his contract. At 6’4”, he has the size of a quality defenseman and is a capable shot blocker. He’s not very effective with the puck on his stick. Ultimately, he’s nothing more than a third-line defenseman, or a potential seventh D-man who rotates into the lineup in case of an injury.

Still, depth at goaltender was a major need for the Flyers last season. After making the playoffs in 2025-26, adding some security in front of the net was a big get for Phliadelphia, who have a quality backup to share the load with Vladar.

Grade: A-

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