Flyers News & Rumors: Woll, Draft, Offseason Thoughts & Hiller Hiring

The Philadelphia Flyers made the first notable trade of the offseason yesterday, acquiring goaltender Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs. In this news and rumors report, we’ll dive into that, the 2026 NHL Draft, some offseason thoughts, and the implications of Toronto hiring its new head coach.

Flyers’ Woll Trade Was Solid; Must Avoid Playing Benoit Too Much

On Tuesday, June 16, the Flyers acquired Woll and Simon Benoit from the Maple Leafs in exchange for Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson, and a 2026 third-round pick (85^th overall).

By Wins Above Replacement (WAR) via Hockey Stats, the Flyers’ goaltending duo went from good—carried by the excellence of Dan Vladař—to one of the best in the NHL.

Combined, Vladař and Woll had 6.38 WAR and saved 10.02 goals above expected (GSAx). If you sub out Woll for Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov, who had a brief NHL stint in 2025-26, those numbers fall to 3.14 WAR and minus-3.39 GSAx.

Even if we expect Vladař to decline, Woll has been one of the better 1B netminders in the league for long enough to inspire confidence. So, the goaltending is getting a sizable bump.

Now, there is one part of this deal that concerned me at first: general manager (GM) Daniel Brière’s comments on Benoit.

According to The Hockey News‘ Jonathan Bailey, the fourth-year GM stated, “Maybe he’s even higher in the lineup (than a seventh defenseman)—why not? We like the physicality that he brings, and we like the size and the skating aspect.”

Danny Briere on potential 7D Simon Benoit

“Maybe he’s even higher in the lineup, why not?we like the physicality that he brings, and we like the size and the skating aspect”

— Jonathan Bailey (@ByJonBailey) June 16, 2026

By the numbers, Benoit was basically the Ersson of the Maple Leafs last season. Via Evolving-Hockey’s data, only he and Erik Gudbranson had a relative shot attempt plus/minus per 60 of minus-10 or below and an expected goal share of 41% or worse on at least 14 minutes of average ice time across 500 total minutes. These metrics essentially measure play-driving ability.

Shifting back to Hockey Stats, Benoit was outscored by 25 goals at 5-on-5 play. Without him on the ice, the Maple Leafs were only outscored by 11 goals, possessing a goal share of 48.1% and an expected goal share of 47.9%—not good, but not that bad, either. The 27-year-old held them back.

Now, it’s worth noting that Noah Juulsen had similar metrics with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024-25 and was perfectly fine in Philadelphia as a seventh defenseman. But that’s the key. If you overplay Benoit, it could hurt you. Not enough to undo the upgrade in net, but enough to limit your ceiling. He should be, at most, the seventh guy back there until proven otherwise.

NHL Draft Thoughts: What Will the Flyers Do?

Following the Woll trade, the Flyers only have four picks in the 2026 NHL Draft: a first-rounder, a second-rounder, a sixth-rounder, and a seventh-rounder.

The second-rounder might have some value, but really, you’re focusing on the Day 1 pick at 21^st overall. Regarding that selection, a trade is definitely possible here: up, down, or using it to get a roster player. All are reasonable assumptions.

But let’s just assume they keep the pick. One name linked to the Flyers is Elton Hermansson, a skilled winger out of Sweden with a top-15 prospect case. There were times during the season when I considered him to be a borderline top-10 player in the class.

The Flyers might like Maddox Dagenais, a forward from the Simon Gagné-managed Québec Remparts. That’s where 2025 sixth-rounder Nathan Quinn plays, so the front office is definitely comfortable drafting from there. Dagenais is a big player who played both center and wing for his Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) club. He’s very active in the offensive zone.

After a comment by Brett Flahr that prospects need dynamism to make up for a lack of size, I think that takes defensemen Tommy Bleyl and Ryan Lin off their board (from ‘Q&A: Brent Flahr on the Flyers’ draft strategy with the 21st pick, whether trading the pick is an option, and more,’ The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 15, 2026). Both are somewhat Jamie Drysdale-esque, but don’t strike me as very dynamic.

That doesn’t, however, eliminate players like defenseman Xavier Villeneuve and winger Mathis Preston. I am a big fan of the latter, but I doubt they draft him. Even if I think the one-to-one Lane Hutson comparisons for Villeneuve are exaggerated, he’d be a good pick at 21. A great one, even.

Finally, with the team having a close attachment to the London Knights, I think they could take rising 6-foot-8 defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii. In my eyes, that would probably be a reach, but it’s a possible avenue for Philadelphia.

Flyers Need a Strong Offseason to Make Progress

Maybe I’m misreading things a bit, but I get the impression that most people think making the playoffs next season is closer to a given than a challenge.

With the Atlantic Division being as good as it is, the Carolina Hurricanes coming off a Stanley Cup win, and the New Jersey Devils poised for a bounce-back under new GM Sunny Mehta, the Flyers will need a strong offseason.

Upgrading the backup position was a start—that can’t be where things end. I don’t know what they’ll do this summer, but a talented center and/or defenseman could really boost this team’s ceiling. If the Flyers are too complacent, they could be overtaken by the rest of the Metropolitan Division (which was admittedly weak this past season).

Implications for 2027 Toronto Draft Pick After Jim Hiller Hire

The Maple Leafs announced their new head coach on Wednesday, June 17: Jim Hiller. He was fired midseason by the Los Angeles Kings after putting up 105 points in 2024-25.

This move is of interest to the Flyers, since they will most likely receive the Maple Leafs’ 2027 first-round pick, unprotected. If it’s a top-10 choice, Toronto chooses whether it goes to the Flyers or to the Boston Bruins. The latter is out of the question, surely. If it’s not a top-10 choice, it goes to Philadelphia, no questions asked. So, it’ll probably belong to the Flyers.

I’m not a coaching tactics expert, so I don’t have any super strong opinions about this. I don’t think Toronto made the right choice, though. Hiller was wildly unpopular in Los Angeles (from ‘Jim Hiller firing too little, too late for Kings team with delusions of contending,’ The Athletic, March 1, 2026).

Flyers fans will want to monitor the Maple Leafs’ summer closely. I can’t see them doing an aggressive sell-off, but do they stand pat? If that’s the case, a top-10 pick might be a possibility. We’ll have to wait and see.

It should be a big offseason ahead for the Flyers. If they want to take the next step, there ought to be some fireworks over the next couple of weeks.