Flyers Bank on Woll Trade to Steady Crease Behind Vladar

The Flyers went looking for a goalie this summer, and they came back with one who can push for real starts.

Philadelphia acquired Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Maple Leafs on June 16, shipping Samuel Ersson, Emil Andrae and a 2026 third-round pick to Toronto. That gives new starter Dan Vladar an actual partner in net instead of a question mark.

Kevin Kurz of The Athletic summed up the fit, calling Woll “a good tandem guy” in his breakdown of the deal:

Woll is 28 and comes off a rough year on paper. He went 15-16-7 with a 3.34 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage in 39 games. Plenty of that traces back to how much rubber he saw.

He faced 32.8 shots per 60 minutes last season, the most of any goalie with at least 30 games. Back in 2024-25, behind a tighter structure, he went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

Structure won’t be the problem here. Philadelphia allowed 25.5 shots per game last season, fourth fewest in the league, so Woll should get cleaner looks than he ever did in Toronto.

Take a look at the full terms of the swap:

Vladar just locked in a five-year extension, so the crease is settled for a while. Woll gives Danny Briere a backup who can steal a start when Vladar needs a night off.

The goalie trade headlined a busy Philadelphia offseason. Noel Acciari signed a two-year deal on July 1 after 25 points in 67 games with Pittsburgh, and as the only right-shot center on the roster he slots in for fourth-line faceoffs.

Benoit adds a physical edge on the back end, with 194 hits and 114 blocked shots last season. On the way out, Ersson and Andrae head to Toronto in the Woll deal, and Garnet Hathaway went to Florida on June 25.

Briere reshaped the roster around a crease he now trusts.