The Toronto Maple Leafs made a big trade on Tuesday with the Philadelphia Flyers, exchanging defensemen and goaltenders, along with a third-round pick going Toronto’s way.
Departing with goalie Joseph Woll and D-man Simon Benoit, the Leafs received netminder Samuel Ersson and blueliner Emil Andrae, as well as the third-rounder in the 2026 NHL draft.
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There are four players in this trade, but the centerpiece in terms of the return for Toronto is Emil Andrae. In fact, this trade alone has checked off multiple boxes for GM John Chayka and the Maple Leafs.
“It allowed us to create some flexibility,” Chayka said of the trade on Tuesday.
Toronto’s brass recognized that goaltending depth is a strength in the organization. Meanwhile, the Leafs defense could use a tweak or two as they struggled to break the puck out cleanly last season and finished with the second-most goals against in the NHL.
Acquiring Andrae satisfies a couple of needs for the Maple Leafs. That includes his ability to get up the ice, move the puck, and be a mobile defenseman. Those are all attributes that are limited in Toronto’s back end ahead of this trade with Philadelphia.
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“Emil Andrae is a player that I’ve watched for a number of years,” Chayka said. “Smart, competitive player, helps us break the puck out more efficiently, a good puck-mover that can also join the rush.”
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Another perk to bringing in Andrae to the Leafs’ roster is his age. The 24-year-old defenseman immediately becomes the youngest D-man on the team’s regular roster, with 29-year-old Philippe Myers being the next youngest on that blueline.
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“We’re getting a good, young ‘D,'” Chayka said. “We could use some more defense in that age group.”
Andrae was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft at 54th overall. The Swedish 5-foot-9 defenseman played 61 games with the Flyers last season, posting two goals and 11 assists for 13 points.
While averaging 15:20 of ice time in the regular season, Andrae finished with the second-best plus-minus rating at a plus-15 with Philadelphia. Only Noah Cates finished with a better rating, with a plus-26.
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The addition of Andrae certainly checked multiple boxes as Chayka and the Maple Leafs kick off their off-season on the trade front, but the 2026 third-round pick that they also received isn’t nothing.
Chayka was able to add another draft pick to Toronto’s cupboards. The organization now has eight picks for the 2026 draft, four of which are coming in the first three rounds.
With plenty of work still to do, the reasoning behind a trade like this is reasonably clear.
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