The Flyers made a decision Tuesday on their backup goaltending position. The club acquired netminder Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Maple Leafs in exchange for Samuel Ersson, Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in this draft. Ersson was a restricted free agent and his future w as uncertain heading into the offseason. “We thought it was a chance to improve the team, help them take another step,” general manager Danny Briere said Tuesday. “Sam has been a fantastic teammate, really loved in the room — both him and Emil. We just felt, in Sam’s case, it’s one of those where it might be time for a change of scenery for him. Hopefully it gives him that chance to take another step.” Woll, who turns 28 years old in July, went 63-43-9 over parts of five seasons with Toronto. He posted a 2.94 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and four shutouts. The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder is coming off a 15-16-7 season in which he recorded a 3.34 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and two shutouts. The 2024-25 season was his best as he went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 goals-against and .909 save percentage. He’ll be the Flyers’ No. 2 behind Dan Vladar, who had a breakout season and solidified himself as the Flyers’ guy. “We felt that Woll is a step forward for us,” Briere said, “and will be able to help Vladdy in a tandem role.” The 26-year-old Ersson played parts of four seasons with the Flyers. He suddenly became the team’s No. 1 in January 2024 when Carter Hart left the Flyers because of the Hockey Canada sexual assault case. In 2024-25, the Flyers sported a league-worst .872 save percentage, which led to Vladar’s arrival last summer. Ersson became the Flyers’ backup this season. At the Olympic break, he was just 8-10-5 with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .856 save percentage. But he was excellent after the break, going 6-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Despite the strong finish, Ersson still had the worst save percentage of his career at .870. (More coming …) ...read more read less