The Flyers spent the offseason trying to clean up the edges of a roster that already showed real promise last spring, and the early verdict is a mixed one. Philadelphia locked up several important pieces, including goalie Dan Vladar, forward Trevor Zegras, and, most recently, defenseman Jamie Drysdale, taking those contract questions off the table for the foreseeable future.
On the outside-moves front, the biggest swing came when the Flyers tried to land Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson with a five-year, $90 million offer sheet. Anaheim matched it, shutting that door fast. Philadelphia also made one notable trade, acquiring goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender Samuel Ersson and defenseman Emil Andrae.
That work was enough for The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to rank the Flyers eighth among the NHL’s 32 teams in offseason improvement. He liked the goaltending upgrade and the fourth-line addition, but he wasn’t sold on the Benoit part of the deal.
"On the one hand, the Flyers’ goaltending situation received a major boost going from Samuel Ersson, one of the league’s worst goalies, to Joseph Woll, who has shown flashes of excellence when available. On the other hand, anything gained by that move was immediately lost going from Andrae to Simon Benoit, one of the league’s worst defensemen," writes Luszczyszyn.
"The Flyers’ biggest net gain comes from the improvement in their fourth line, going from Garnet Hathaway to Noel Acciari. The latter showed some serious defensive chops, even while accounting for his lesser role. He helps give Philadelphia one of the league’s deepest bottom sixes."
That backup goalie spot was a clear target entering the offseason. Ersson was supposed to handle that job last season, but the results were rough: a .870 save percentage, a 3.12 goals-against average, and a 14-11-5 record in 33 games, 29 of them starts.
Woll gives Philadelphia a different kind of option behind Vladar. He had a rough 2025-26 season, but over five years with Toronto, he posted a 2.94 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
If he stays healthy, he should be one of the stronger backup goalies in the league this season.
The price for that upgrade was Andrae, who just turned in a strong year of his own with two goals, 11 assists, and a plus-15 rating in 61 games. In his place comes Benoit, who played 73 games for Toronto and finished at minus-22. With the Flyers’ depth on defense, it seems likely they’ll keep his role limited and ask him to do less rather than more.
Philadelphia also added Acciari from the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, and he arrives off a productive season with 13 goals and 12 assists in 67 games. Luszczyszyn pointed to him as a dependable bottom-six piece.
The Flyers still have room to make another move if they want to chase something bigger, but after the Carlsson offer sheet fell through, there doesn’t seem to be a player of that level sitting there for them. Even so, this is still a team that finished third in the Metropolitan Division and won a first-round series against the Penguins, and the additions they’ve made so far have improved the roster overall, even if not every move has been a clean win.
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