The Toronto Maple Leafs may have recently acquired goaltender Samuel Ersson in the deal that sent netminder Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers, but his time with the organization is already over.
The Maple Leafs have announced that they have traded Ersson to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
With the Maple Leafs having goalie Dennis Hildeby looking ready for the NHL, it seemed very possible that they would move on from Ersson after they acquired him. Now, they have done just that with this trade.
Maple Leafs Trading Away Ersson Simply Makes Sense
With the Maple Leafs currently having Anthony Stolarz and Hildeby as their NHL-caliber goalies, it is not too difficult to understand why they have traded Ersson. There was not a clear path for him to make the Maple Leafs’ roster out of training camp. As a result of this, it makes sense that the Maple Leafs have flipped Ersson to the Senators for a draft pick.
The Maple Leafs also have a promising goalie prospect in Artur Akhtyamov playing in the AHL on the Toronto Marlies. With this, keeping Ersson would have only blocked Aktyamov more from the Maple Leafs’ NHL roster. This would not have been ideal, especially when noting that the 24-year-old goaltender was a huge reason for the Marlies winning the Calder Cup this spring.
As a result, this is a move that really should benefit both the Maple Leafs and Ersson. Ersson should have more opportunities to succeed with the Senators, as he should be guaranteed to make their NHL roster out of training camp. As for the Maple Leafs, they have opened up a much-needed roster spot as they continue to look to make more moves this summer.
Ersson Will Be Looking to Bounce Back With the Senators
Now that Ersson has been traded by the Maple Leafs to the Senators, he will be looking to bounce back in Ottawa next season. The 26-year-old goalie had a nightmare 2025-26 season with the Flyers, and the truth can be seen with his stats. In 33 games with the Flyers during the 2025-26 season, the 2018 fifth-round pick had an .870 save percentage and a 3.12 goals-against average. With numbers like these, he was among the worst goalies in the NHL last season.
While this is the case, Ersson has shown in the past that he can be a solid goalie when playing at his best. If he can turn things around in Ottawa, it would be huge for a Senators club that needs more goaltending stability.
Ersson has the potential to be a real upgrade over the Senators’ backup goalies from last season in James Reimer and Leevi Merilainen. It will be interesting to see if he can be just that for the Senators from here.
In 143 career NHL games over four seasons, Ersson has a 65-50-17 record, a 3.01 goals-against average, an .884 save percentage, and seven shutouts. He was also a member of Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Time will tell how he builds on these career stats after being traded to the Senators.
TRADE: Toronto Maple Leafs Send Goaltender to Senators