- Senators acquire goalie Samuel Ersson from the Maple Leafs for a 2027 fifth-round pick
- Toronto flips Ersson just 10 days after landing him in the Joseph Woll deal with Philadelphia
- Read below for what Ersson means for Ottawa’s crease behind Linus Ullmark
Samuel Ersson is headed to Ottawa.
The Senators acquired the goaltender from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Ottawa announced the deal Friday:
The funny part is how quickly Toronto moved on. The Leafs had just landed Ersson on June 16, getting him along with Emil Andrae and a 2026 third-round pick from Philadelphia in the Joseph Woll deal. Ten days later they shipped him down the highway to a division rival.
Toronto was never going to qualify him. Ersson is finishing a two-year, $2.9 million contract and can become a restricted free agent on July 1, so the Leafs grabbed a future pick instead of letting him walk for nothing.
For Ottawa, Ersson gives them a young option behind Linus Ullmark. Leevi Merilainen and James Reimer split the backup job for most of last season, and the Senators clearly wanted more competition there.
Ersson, 26, went 14-11-5 with a 3.12 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage in 33 games this past season. He backed up Dan Vladar in Philadelphia and didn’t play a minute in the playoffs.
His resume reads better than that one year, though. Philadelphia drafted Ersson in the fifth round back in 2018, and he owns a career line of 65-50-17 with a 3.01 GAA and seven shutouts across 143 games. There’s a starter’s ceiling in there if it clicks.
Ottawa had a busy Friday beyond this one. The Senators also signed defenseman Jordan Spence to a four-year extension before turning their attention to the draft floor.
Ersson lands in a building that just made the playoffs, with a real shot at carving out steady NHL minutes.
