Toronto Pulls the Trigger; Makes Cap Flexibility

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Toronto Pulls the Trigger; Makes Cap Flexibility

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Jeremy Ridgewell | Last updated Jun 16, 2026 7:30 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson, and a 2026 third-round pick.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that teams were showing interest in Woll in recent days and that the Flyers were one of those teams. It’s surprising how quickly a trade came together.

“Yesterday, I was told teams are doing their due diligence on Woll and Knies. The fact that the Woll trade materialized so quickly is a bit of a surprise to some. Philadelphia emerged as the best option for Woll in the last few days.”

The 27-year-old Woll has two years remaining on the three-year, $11 million contract extension he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2024. Benoit, 27, has one year left on the three-year, $4.05 million extension he also signed in 2024 with Toronto.

Toronto Trade Frees Up Cap Space

The Maple Leafs are getting the RFA rights to Andrae (24) and Ersson (26). For now, the move clears just over $5 million in cap space for Toronto. However, that could change if the Maple Leafs end up signing either Ersson or Andrae to new contracts.

The return for Toronto feels a bit light, though Andrae does have some upside as a solid bottom-pairing puck-moving defenseman. For the Flyers, they will now have a tandem of Woll and Dan Vladar. The addition of rugged depth defenseman Benoit should mix well into the Philadelphia-style of game.

New Maple Leafs GM John Chayka didn’t waste any time dipping into the trade market. It will be interesting to see what he does next, as this likely won’t be the last of his moves this offseason.

This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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