Flyers acquire goalie Joseph Woll from Maple Leafs in surprise 4-player trade

Dan Vladar reportedly is nearing a contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers and next season, he'll have a new partner in net.

The Flyers on Tuesday acquired goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Maple Leafs in a trade sending goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in next week's NHL draft to Toronto.

Both Ersson and Andrae are restricted free agents.  

By trading for Woll, the Flyers have checked off one of their items on their offseason to-do list. Ersson is an RFA coming off two discouraging seasons. With Vladar establishing himself as the team's No. 1 goalie, Ersson's future was in doubt.

There is no doubt anymore. The Flyers are moving on from Ersson and inserting the 27-year-old Woll as Vladar's backup.

Ersson, a 2018 fifth-round draft pick, posted the second-worst save percentage (.870) among the NHL's qualified goalies last season. Over the past two seasons, he posted a 3.13 goals against average and .878 save percentage. He'll head to Toronto to partner with former Flyers goalie Anthony Stolarz.

Woll has played in 106 games over the past three seasons with the Maple Leafs, posting a .904 save percentage and 3.00 GAA. Last season, he was 15-16-7 with a 3.34 GAA, .898 save percentage and a career-high two shutouts.

He also joins Philly with 14 career playoff games under his belt, posting a 2.73 GAA and .906 save percentage in the postseason.

The Flyers swapped Andrae out for Benoit in the trade, and by doing so, they got bigger on defense. At 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 210 pounds, Benoit adds size and physicality to the orange and black's blue line.

Last season, Benoit recorded just six assists in 73 games for Toronto but delivered 194 hits and blocked 114 shots. Whether he serves as a regular in the Flyers' top six or depth, his brand of hockey figures to fit well in Rick Tocchet's style of play.

Benoit has one year left on his contract with a $1.35 million cap hit.

After trading a third-rounder in the 2026 NHL draft, the Flyers now have four selections: a first-round pick (21st overall), second-round pick (53rd), sixth-round (181st) and seventh-round (213th).