06/16/26 02:10:00
Printable Page
06/16 12:59 CDT Flyers acquire goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit
in a trade with the Maple Leafs
Flyers acquire goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit in a trade with
the Maple Leafs
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
Coming off making the playoffs and reaching the second round, the Philadelphia
Flyers made a move early in the offseason that they think improves them in net
and on the blue line.
Philadelphia acquired goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit in a
trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. They sent goalie Samuel Ersson,
defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the draft next week to the
Leafs.
The swap gives Philadelphia a dependable backup to prospective starter Dan
Vladar, who is coming off a career year that included a strong first round of
the playoffs to beat Pittsburgh before losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion
Carolina.
"We thought it was a chance to improve the team, help them take another step,"
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere told reporters at a previously scheduled
predraft news conference in Voorhees, New Jersey. "We felt that Woll is a step
forward for us and will be able to help Vladdy in a tandem role."
Vladar is eligible to sign an extension July 1. Briere said the team and
Vladar's camp were working to get that deal over the finish line, and the hope
in adding Woll is it allows for a better sharing of the crease than when Ersson
struggled early this past season.
"The better you can have both of them going, I think it helps," Briere said.
"It prevents injuries and (Vladar) stays fresh and he can, I think, perform
better. We hope that they can push each other that way."
Benoit is a bit older than Andrae at 28 and makes the Flyers bigger and
stronger on the back end. Briere said having smaller defensemen Cam York and
Jamie Drysdale led him to want someone like Benoit, who is 6-foot-4 and over
200 pounds.
"It's going to probably be a little easier for the coaches having a guy like
Simon Benoit back there to use," Briere said. "We like the physicality that he
brings, and we like the size and the skating aspect, too. He's a really good
skater."
The move to add Ersson, Andrae and a pick for Woll and Benoit is new Toronto
general manager John Chayka's first change to the roster since taking over in
early May. He framed it as a salary cap-saving move, along with getting a
defenseman in his mid-20s.
"What we like about this opportunity was it allowed us to create some
flexibility," Chayka said on a video call with reporters. "We think flexibility
and optionality are assets to any great organization, and certainly this allows
us to be in a better spot as we think about the entire offseason plan."
Woll counts $3.67 million against that cap the next two seasons, while Benoit
is under contract one more year at $1.35 million. Andrae and Ersson are
restricted free agents.
Given the Leafs already have Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby expected to be
atop their goaltending depth chart, Chayka was noncommittal when asked if the
club would tender Ersson a qualifying offer to retain his rights.
"He's a good, young goaltender," Chayka said. "He's someone that we identified
as having some upside and someone that our staff could work with."
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
|
