Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers Could Benefit from Their Hockey Trades

While the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes continue to celebrate their success, the rest of the NHL is getting to work on the off-season. Things started with a good old fashioned hockey trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers have decided it’s time to replace their goaltenders and give them a change of scenery.

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The Maple Leafs acquired Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson, and 2026 NHL Draft third-round picks Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit. But as Russ Cohen of Sportsology.com told SiriusXM NHL Network, this hockey trade could be a win-win for both teams.

Writing for NHLRumors.com

Host: “There’s a lot of talk about how there’s going to be a lot of movement, and you know what, maybe there is. And the recent trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs is the perfect place for it.

First of all, there were rumors about Woll and the Flyers in March. I know it was because I talked to Dave Pagnotta; there was a rumor, so it came true. So, maybe walk us through the trade, why both teams made the trade, and what you think about it. “

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Russ Cohen: “Okay, so from the Flyers’ perspective, and I just did an interview yesterday (Monday), where I was like, ‘Hey, like today Sam Ersson is their backup point guard, but they’re trying to improve.’ It was obvious back in March that they were trying to improve, right? So that’s definitely not against Sam. I mean, sometimes he sinks, like Woll, but they were just looking for somebody inside that they felt could be a solid 1B for other games. And I think Sam can only play a certain number of games. “

Host: “Vladar is their guy, right? They’re going to sign this big contract, right, or a long contract?”

Cohen: “Yes Dan, Danny said today they are negotiating. They will probably sign him to a five-year deal. I would advise him to do four, but you know how that works. But whatever, so Sam is a good goalkeeper, but he can only play a certain number of games. Woll will take the pressure off Vladar and he probably played a lot of his games last year, and maybe they wanted to play a lot of his games last year. Go beyond that. So, this it gives them that insurance on that.

Emil Andrae, unfortunately, had just been outclassed by Rick Tocchet, so he wouldn’t really stand a chance here. Danny really liked him, and if you look at when the Flyers went in with him, even in the playoffs, they played better with him because of puck movement and passing, and he’s very good at that, and he’s aggressive. And if you wanted to, you could put him on the power play again, and he can do that. But Rick didn’t like that because he’s young, so he wouldn’t do it, right? So, so there’s that. A third-round pick is a third-round pick.

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And then from the Leafs point of view, I mean Leafs fans are like, ‘Oh, we have Sam Ersson. That’s a goal reduction.’ There was hope that they wouldn’t trade Joseph Woll, but I didn’t see that. I always thought he was going to be a trade guy, because Stolarz’s contract, because of the name, is not moving. It doesn’t matter what the AAV is; time is important. Yeah, and I’ve been trying to tell people that, but they don’t want to listen, so it’s okay. “

Host: “If anyone was going to move, it was always going to be Woll.”

Cohen: “And what’s interesting is I think Benoit was a utility player. I saw him play for Toronto. Philly likes his size. So I think that’s a situation where it’s like, I think the Leafs need someone they can rely on, who can be a second or third pairing, probably third, who could pass and drive and do all that, because they had Fly looking a little bit, looking a little bit, D. and that’s what it’s all about it’s Tocchet.

So, I think that’s where the change is. I think the Leafs’ development is on the blue line, and the Flyers’ development was the net, and they should try to develop Benoit for the blue line, where the third comes in. So I think this is an even trade, but Leafs fans won’t see it that way. “

Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers Swap Forwards and Defensemen

Now, the Toronto Maple Leafs can decide how they want to deal with Ersson. While the Flyers are looking to extend Vladar to the dreaded five-year, $5 million contract, Woll is the backup. So there is a chance that people will look back after resolving the overreaction, and both teams will benefit from exchanging players and incorporating them into their programs.

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