The two newest additions to the Philadelphia Flyers — goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit — spoke to the local media Wednesday regarding their new club and what the future holds for each of them. Woll — who was looking at his hockey card collection when he was notified of the deal — went through different emotions on hearing the deal. But Woll said a phone call from Benoit “really helped for me see how an unbelievable opportunity this was.”
“Vladdy was nice enough to shoot me a message right when it happened,” Woll said, adding he hadn’t met his tandem partner in person just yet. “From what I hear he’s an unbelievable dude, so I’m pumped to have a great goalie partner. I’m just excited to have the chance to play with someone that seems to be loved by the staff and his teammates. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Woll, who had a 3.34 goals-against average and .899 save percentage with the Leafs in 2025-26, was also asked about Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet’s defensive structure and system, namely allowing the goaltender to play half the net, and letting the defense and forwards protect the other half from backdoor goals and scoring chances.
“I think as a goalie any time the team or coach take a systematic approach, it’s all to our benefit,” Woll said. “There’s a lot of unpredictability within the game, and part of being a great goalie is being able to solve some of that unpredictability and react. But from a basis and a starting point, having systems in place only makes my job easier. If I know where my defensemen are going to be, I know what my responsibility is, it helps me to focus on that and not second guess or consider too many other options. It’s being really engaged in what my role is, what my responsibility is. From talking to Rick, Dilly, Vladdy, all these things they’ve said I think are to our benefit.
Regarding how the 84-game season is going to be broken down between Vladar’s usage and Woll’s, Woll — who posted a goodbye message to Toronto on his social media pages earlier Wedneday — said he hasn’t really contemplated it yet. Nor has anyone on the Flyers gotten into specifics regarding how the two goalies will split the season. However, Woll said he’s going to do whatever he can to be ready each game, whether he gets the nod or is sitting on the bench as the backup. He also mentioned he’s talked to Flyers goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh about this upcoming season and both seem to be on the same page regarding his game. And while he said it’s not every NHL goaltender’s dream to be a backup, he “wants to come in and show my belief in myself and compete, and that’s only to the benefit of the team.”
Woll said he spoke with a few people in the organization, and sensed their excitement at having him with the team.
“It just seems on their end there’s a lot of excitement that’s matched within myself.,” he said. “I’m just really excited to go to a place where on both ends there’s that belief and excitement and talked to Danny, Rick, Cam, all these different people I’ve been able to speak to. For next year I have my own goals that I’ve set and that really doesn’t change with the change of location for me. I think my process is the same and I’m going to come compete the same way I was planning regardless of where I was playing. One thing I want to really, really stress is I want to be ready and prepared every night to help this team the best way I can, whether in the net or supporting Vladdy, supporting the boys as best I can. I’ll be ready to go.”
Benoit brings brawn and depth
As for Benoit, the defenseman said he immediately called Trevor Zegras after hearing he was traded from Leafs general manager John Chayka, jokingly telling him to “keep your head up in practice.” Benoit said he was happy to know both Zegras and Jamie Drysdale who previously played with him during his time in Anaheim.
Benoit said he takes pride in “being hard to play against” and plays a relatively straightforward game, whether it’s on the penalty kill or blocking shots. “It’s a pretty simple game ,” he said. “It’s not an easy job to do because you have to sacrifice your body every night, but I’m willing to do it. But after talking with the coaching staff and the general manager, the way they were seeing the team going forward, I felt that I was fitting right in. So for me, bringing that aspect to the Flyers is going to be great.”
The newcomer is being tentatively slated as a depth defenseman, possibly in the sixth or seventh spot. Benoit said with the horde of up-and-coming Flyers defensemen in the pipeline, and the competition expected at training camp, he knows he can’t take anything for granted. Nothing is guaranteed in terms of being a constant member of the top six. “I have to fight every year, and every game, every practice to stay in the lineup and play that game,” Benoit said.
Of the pair, it’s perhaps easy to state Woll will clearly be the more impactful or important piece for Philadelphia this year, especially after the rather poor season Sam Ersson had previously. Should Woll provide quality starts for the Flyers this season, and Vladar remains healthy, the team should be in a much better spot regarding playoff positioning down the stretch, not needing a torrid hot streak to squeak in. But Benoit shouldn’t be ruled out totally. If he can fill a role like Noah Juulsen did last season, it will look like a decent trade by Briere yet again.
