Senators news: Ottawa makes goalie trade with Maple Leafs after tumultuous Linus Ullmark seasons

Ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Ottawa Senators acquired the rights to restricted free agent goaltender Samuel Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick.

Ersson, 26, had only recently joined Toronto after the Maple Leafs acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers in the deal that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to Philadelphia. That trade also brought defenseman Emil Andrae and a 2026 third-round pick to Toronto.

The move came after the Maple Leafs reportedly did not intend to issue Ersson his $1.6 million qualifying offer ahead of free agency. Rather than allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Toronto recovered a fifth-round selection, effectively replacing the fifth-round pick it had used to acquire the negotiating rights to defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

For Ottawa, Ersson is expected to compete for the backup role behind Linus Ullmark after the Senators relied on five different goaltenders during the 2025-26 season. Leevi Merilainen and James Reimer handled most of the backup duties, with Reimer now a pending unrestricted free agent at age 38 and Merilainen also a restricted free agent. Ottawa reached the playoffs despite inconsistent goaltending depth throughout the season.

Ersson is coming off the worst campaign of his NHL career. He finished the 2025-26 season with a 14-11-5 record, a 3.12 goals-against average and a .870 save percentage in 33 appearances with Philadelphia. Across parts of four NHL seasons, all with the Flyers, he owns a 65-50-17 career record, seven shutouts, a 3.01 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage in 143 games.

The Swedish netminder originally emerged as Philadelphia’s starter during the 2023-24 season, compiling a 23-19-7 record with four shutouts and a .890 save percentage in 51 games. However, he was unable to build on that performance, recording an .883 save percentage in 2024-25 before slipping to .870 last season and eventually losing playing time after the Flyers added Daniel Vladar.

Though he struggled for much of the season, Ersson ended the year on a positive note with a .912 save percentage in his final nine outings following the Olympic break.

Selected 143rd overall by Philadelphia in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-3 native of Falun, Sweden has also represented his country internationally. He participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off and earned bronze medals with Sweden at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships.

For the Maple Leafs, the trade further clarifies their goaltending picture. Anthony Stolarz is expected to enter next season as the starter, while Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov are positioned to compete for NHL opportunities. The deal also gives Toronto two fifth-round selections in the 2027 NHL Draft and 14 picks over the next two drafts.

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