Emil Andrae has turned the page and is set for a new challenge with the Toronto Maple Leafs, while thanking the Philadelphia Flyers fans in his farewell social media post.
Emil Andrae is set for a new chapter in his NHL career.
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired the defenseman on June 16 from the Philadelphia Flyers. Along with Andrae, the Maple Leafs received goaltender Samuel Ersson and a 2026 third-round pick in exchange for Simon Benoit and Joseph Woll. The third-round pick was used to select goalie Juuso Ainasto.
Andrae spent parts of three seasons with the Flyers before being dealt to the Leafs. Following the trade from three weeks ago, he posted his farewell on social media on Monday.
"THANKS Philadelphia and all my teammates for 3 amazing years," Andrae captioned on his Instagram post. "Couldn’t be more grateful and honored to have been a part of this organization."
This past season, the 24-year-old reached 100 regular-season games in the NHL, now featuring in a total of 107 after making 61 appearances in 2025-26. In that campaign, he scored a pair of goals and registered 13 points, the most in his young career thus far. He also recorded a plus-15 rating, which was the second-best on the Flyers' roster.
He achieved those numbers while averaging 15:20 of ice time per game, which is about two minutes less than what he logged the year prior.
Indeed, the 5-foot-9 blueliner was sheltered on the back end in Philadelphia. But he's ready to put that behind him and turn the page to a new chapter in Toronto.
"Now it’s on to a new chapter, and I’m so excited to join the Toronto Maple Leafs," Andrae signed off on his post.
On Saturday, Andrae locked himself in with the Maple Leafs' organization, signing a two-year contract as he was an RFA before inking that new deal. He'll earn $1.55 million against Toronto's salary cap through the 2027-28 season.
Looking at the Leafs' blueline depth chart, a spot in the lineup is certainly not confirmed for Andrae. But with the right effort and performances in training camp, pre-season, and the start of the 2026-27 campaign, he could nab a spot on Toronto's bottom pairing.
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