TORONTO — John Chayka isn’t waiting around to start shaking things up.
Eager to add youth and mobility to the Maple Leafs’ slowing back end, Chayka acquired 24-year-old, left-shot defenceman Emil Andrae, goaltender Samuel Ersson, as well as a third-round draft pick in next week’s draft.
Chayka had been eyeing Andrae for a while. He was the target — and he’s five years younger than anyone else on Toronto’s blueline.
“A smart, competitive player. Helps us break the puck out more efficiently. A good puck mover that can also help join the rush and support offence as well,” Chayka said. “We’re getting a good young D at an age group that we, candidly, could use some more.”
In exchange, Chayka sent goalie Joseph Woll, 27, and left-shot, third-pairing defenceman Simon Benoit, 27, to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The trade instantly makes Toronto younger and gives Philadelphia cost certainty.
Both Woll ($3.67 million through 2027-28) and Benoit ($1.35 million through 2026-27) are under contract at reasonable rates. Both are coming off disappointing campaigns for a Leafs club that tumbled to 28th place.
“I felt like I had some stretches where I was feeling good about my game, and some stretches where things weren’t necessarily going my way,” Woll said during his final press meeting as a Maple Leaf. He posted a career-worst .899 save percentage and a 15-16-7 record.
“If I look at the season as a whole, I feel like I’ve maybe had some stuff left on the table, you know?” Woll continued. “I don’t think I properly lived up to what I know I’m capable of, and that part is very disappointing for myself.”
Woll — the first draft-and-develop Leafs goalie of impact since James Reimer — missed the beginning of the 2025-26 season due to personal reasons he has chosen not to discuss and has never played more than 42 games in a single season.
He backstopped Team USA to a disappointing eighth-place finish at last month’s world championships.
With the Flyers expected to re-sign No. 1 goalie Dan Vladar to a five-year extension, Woll should slot in as Philadelphia’s No. 2, a position formerly occupied by Ersson.
The only way Toronto loses this deal is if Woll becomes the workhorse he is striving to be, and the Maple Leafs chose incorrectly on which goaltender to cut loose.
Like Woll, Ersson, too, is coming off a down year.
The 26-year-old Swede posted a 14-11-5 record with a .870 save percentage.
Do the Maple Leafs even wish to keep him?
Ersson is an impending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He won’t command a big raise from his current $1.45-million AAV, but Toronto has too many goalies on one-way contracts.
Hildeby (.914) was excellent in his 20 NHL games last season, and Akhtyamov has been stellar for the Marlies, who hold a 2-0 lead in the Calder Cup final.
“In any good situation where you have organization depth, you want the young players to force your hand a bit,” Chayka said. “Certainly, the way that they played — Dennis at the NHL level, even in Double A, with what he’s doing with the Marlies right now — as a manager, it definitely causes you to take notice and make plans.”
Chayka could try to flip another goalie or simply opt to not qualify Ersson and let him become an unrestricted free agent. The GM did not commit to the idea of qualifying Ersson.
That makes Andrae the impetus for the deal.
And while Benoit was impactful in his early Leafs tenure, the affable Québécois leaves Toronto unsatisfied.
He had just six assists and finished with a minus-22, worst among Toronto’s defencemen, and did not hide behind his underperformance.
Missing the playoffs “feels like s—,” Benoit said. “There’s a lot of frustration in it. Like, for myself, I’m really not satisfied about my year overall. I’ve got to be better, and it’s something I’m looking to improve this summer.”
Benoit became one of too many off-the-glass-and-out blueliners on a roster constructed by former GM Brad Treliving, who prioritized grit and size.
Andrae is five-foot-nine, 194 pounds, and a smoother playmaker.
The shifty Swede represents a bet on the future. The defenceman took impressive strides in his second full NHL season, posting career highs in games played (61), goals (two), assists (11), plus/minus (+15), and hits (68).
While Benoit was used more in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill, Andrae will be better suited to offensive situations and is a candidate to quarterback a second power-play unit.
Like Ersson, Andrae is on an expiring contract. He will no doubt be qualified.
The RFA holds arbitration rights and will require a nice raise from his modest $903,333 salary.
Yes, Chayka’s remodelling of the Maple Leafs’ back end is underway.
Rest assured, this is only the beginning.
“Mats (Sundin) and I have been working pretty hard now for the last several weeks, coming up with what we think is a pretty comprehensive off-season plan,” Chayka said.
“Certainly, this is a move that we feel is a part of that. But there’s lots of work to be done on the roster.”