The Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] traded goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers]. Philadelphia traded goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft in return. Woll, 27, had a 15-16-7 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in 39 games this season. He has a career 2.94 GAA and .906 SP in 117 games. Woll has two years left on a contract with a $3,666,667 cap hit. Benoit, 27, ranked second on the Leafs in hits, with 194, and third in blocked shots, with 114. The defensive defenseman had six assists and a minus-22 rating in 73 games. Benoit has one season left on a three-year deal with a $1.35-million cap hit. Ersson, 26, put up a 14-11-5 record, 3.12 GAA and .870 SP in 33 games this season with the Flyers. In the two previous seasons, Ersson was Philadelphia's starting goalie, and he has a career 3.01 GAA and .884 SP in 143 games. He is a pending RFA with arbitration rights. Andrae, 24, had two goals and 11 assists for 13 points in 61 games. He also had 68 hits, 58 blocked shots and a plus-15 rating. He's also a pending RFA with arbitration rights coming off his entry-level contract. Philadelphia now has just four picks in this month's NHL draft, with selections in the first, second, sixth and seventh rounds. Toronto, meanwhile, has eight draft picks, including two in the third round, two in the fifth round and the No. 1 overall pick. Reaction: Toronto Maple Leafs Take Big Goaltending Risk With Woll Trade [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c608ee32-d9d0-4fe4-91bb-df52e1117117.jpeg] Reaction: Toronto Maple Leafs Take Big Goaltending Risk With Woll Trade The Toronto Maple Leafs have goalies of the future, including Artur Akhtyamov, who has the AHL's Marlies two wins away from the Calder Cup. Trading Joseph Woll could be a stroke of brilliance, but it's a risk. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-take-big-goaltending-risk-with-woll-trade] WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BOTH TEAMS' GOALTENDING SITUATIONS The Maple Leafs had a decision to make about their NHL goalies heading into the off-season. Anthony Stolarz and Woll are under contract past this season, but 24-year-old Dennis Hildeby played 20 games as a call-up this season, and his .914 save percentage, 2.86 goals-against and 10.5 goals saved above expected were the best stats of the three by a notable margin. Stolarz had an .893 SP and 3.28 GAA in 26 games, and he and Woll had more than six goals saved below expected, according to moneypuck.com [https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm]. Hildeby will no longer be exempt from waivers next season, so the Leafs had to decide whether to run with three goalies or trade one of them. Another goalie who could graduate to the Leafs next season is 24-year-old Artur Akhtyamov, who's backstopped the AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl]'s Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup final. He has a 2.21 GAA and .924 SP for the Marlies in the playoffs. Hildeby and Akhtyamov's play leaves Ersson's future uncertain in Toronto. Ersson hasn't finished any of his four NHL seasons with a save percentage of at least .900. Philadelphia, meanwhile, gets a potential starting goaltender to work in a tandem with 28-year-old Dan Vladar, who has one year remaining on his contract at a $3.35-million cap hit. Vladar joined the Flyers during free agency last year and went 29-14-7 with a 2.42 GAA and .906 SP in the regular season. He also helped the Flyers eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. He ultimately had a 2.18 GAA and .922 SP in 10 playoff games as the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes] in the second round. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/bfd414ce-b06e-461c-8408-60121d02dde4.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source [https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=thehockeynews.com]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
