- May 21, 2026
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The Ottawa Senators have acquired the RFA rights to goaltender Samuel Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, the club announced Friday afternoon.
Ersson, 26, posted a 14-11-5 record and an .870 save percentage in 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2025-26 regular season. The Maple Leafs acquired him from the Flyers last week as part of the trade that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to Philadelphia.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the news of the trade on Friday. He subsequently indicated that the Maple Leafs did not plan on tendering Ersson a qualifying offer, and instead managed to recoup the fifth-round pick they traded to acquire Darren Raddysh’s negotiating rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Flyers originally selected Ersson in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The 6’3″ goaltender spent his formative developmental years in his native Sweden before coming to North America for the 2021-22 season.
Ersson made his NHL debut with the Flyers in 2022-23 and established himself as their starter the following year, going 23-19-7 with four shutouts and an .890 save percentage in 51 games. But he struggled at times to earn the trust of head coaches John Tortorella and Rick Tocchet, ultimately being relegated to backup duty behind Dan Vladar in 2025-26.
With the Senators, Ersson projects to play second fiddle once again behind Linus Ullmark, who is signed through 2029 at an $8.25 million cap hit. Ersson is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1; the Senators currently have Ullmark, Kevin Reidler, Jackson Parsons, and Lucas Beckman under contract between the pipes for the 2026-27 season.
Through 143 career NHL games over parts of four seasons in Philadelphia, Ersson has posted a 65-50-17 record, seven shutouts, and an .884 save percentage.
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Ersson, 26, posted a 14-11-5 record and an .870 save percentage in 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2025-26 regular season. The Maple Leafs acquired him from the Flyers last week as part of the trade that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to Philadelphia.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the news of the trade on Friday. He subsequently indicated that the Maple Leafs did not plan on tendering Ersson a qualifying offer, and instead managed to recoup the fifth-round pick they traded to acquire Darren Raddysh’s negotiating rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Flyers originally selected Ersson in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The 6’3″ goaltender spent his formative developmental years in his native Sweden before coming to North America for the 2021-22 season.
Ersson made his NHL debut with the Flyers in 2022-23 and established himself as their starter the following year, going 23-19-7 with four shutouts and an .890 save percentage in 51 games. But he struggled at times to earn the trust of head coaches John Tortorella and Rick Tocchet, ultimately being relegated to backup duty behind Dan Vladar in 2025-26.
With the Senators, Ersson projects to play second fiddle once again behind Linus Ullmark, who is signed through 2029 at an $8.25 million cap hit. Ersson is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1; the Senators currently have Ullmark, Kevin Reidler, Jackson Parsons, and Lucas Beckman under contract between the pipes for the 2026-27 season.
Through 143 career NHL games over parts of four seasons in Philadelphia, Ersson has posted a 65-50-17 record, seven shutouts, and an .884 save percentage.
Continue reading...