Last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they had traded goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers, and in return, received goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a 2026 third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
It brings an end to Woll’s tenure with the Maple Leafs, who once understandably saw him as their goaltender of the future, especially given his performance during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs after replacing Ilya Samsonov between the pipes in their opening round series loss to the divisional rival Boston Bruins before an untimely injury.
But now, Woll will be forming a tandem with Dan Vladar in the City of Brotherly Love, who experienced playoff hockey this spring for the first time since the Flyers qualified for the “bubble” in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs Goalie Joseph Woll Reacts To Being Traded To The Flyers
Woll posted an emotional message to fans of the Maple Leafs who cheered him on during the first portion of his NHL career spent in hockey’s biggest market.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the organization, the city, my friends and especially, my teammates for helping make my time in Toronto so special,” Woll wrote. “I have enough memories to last a lifetime. I’ll forever be proud and grateful for my time with the Leafs. 🍁Philly, get ready.”
Later, while speaking with Flyers media, Woll admitted that he was excited for the possibility of great things to come for a franchise looking to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since the early 1970s.
“It just seems on their end there’s a lot of excitement that’s matched within myself,” he said. “I’m just really excited to go to a place where on both ends there’s that belief and excitement and talked to Danny, Rick, Cam, all these different people I’ve been able to speak to. For next year I have my own goals that I’ve set and that really doesn’t change with the change of location for me.”
He continued:
“I think my process is the same and I’m going to come compete the same way I was planning regardless of where I was playing,” he said. “One thing I want to really, really stress is I want to be ready and prepared every night to help this team the best way I can, whether in the net or supporting Vladdy, supporting the boys as best I can. I’ll be ready to go.”
Joseph Woll Is Now With The Flyers
After taking time away from the Maple Leafs during the season to deal with a personal matter, Woll is starting the next chapter of his NHL career as a member of the Flyers. He will be competing for the starting position between the pipes with Vladar as Philadelphia looks to build a dependable goaltending duo capable of returning the club to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next spring.
Across 117 NHL appearances, Woll owns a 63-43-9 record while compiling a 2.94 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage, and four career shutouts.
Joseph Woll Sounds Off After Trade From Maple Leafs