Joseph Woll is about to become the Maple Leafs' most valuable trade chip and Philadelphia is already circling
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David Pagnotta says Philadelphia and Carolina are both looking to improve their goaltending. Well, Toronto has Dennis Hildeby, Artur Akhtyamov and Anthony Stolarz. That means Joseph Woll has never been more expendable - or more valuable.
We touched on earlier how Joseph Woll could be used as a part of a huge package involving Auston Matthews that would bring Toronto a massive haul of prospects and picks as well as Flyers star Trevor Zegras, and while it certainly brought a lot of attention, there's a very minor chance that happens.
But if you were to just have Woll as the centrepiece of a deal then we could be looking at a much different scenario and according to David Pagnotta; Toronto might consider it.
The rookie situation in Toronto makes Joseph Woll expendable
Pagnotta explained that the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes are two teams who are looking to improve their goaltending as they look to move on from guys like Dan Vladar and Frederik Andersen respectively:
I think they're gonna have a discussion with other teams about their goaltending; they've got some...quality depth there; wouldn't surprise me if a team like Philly comes knocking; we talked about Carolina. - DFO Rundown (03.18.26)
Philadelphia makes lots of sense because Woll would be a younger replacement for Vladar and form a wildly solid tandem with Samuel Ersson and would be a great stop-gap until Yegor Zavragin is ready come over from Russia.
Carolina on the other hand wants to part ways with Andersen according to reports, and if so that would leave them with only Brandon Bussi and an unproven Pyotr Kochetkov. Woll could come in and be that veteran presence for Bussi and provide him with some relief as he continues to grow into a star.
It feels like we've seen the ceiling of Woll in Toronto and while he's a solid option, with a lot of money invested in Anthony Stolarz plus the emergence of Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov - he could bring in the best package.
Why Carolina and Philadelphia make the most sense as trade partners
That package is going to have to include a future #1 defenceman and both the Hurricanes and Flyers can offer that. Carolina can give Toronto someone like a K'Andre Miller if they truly want to shake things up (and save a lot of money) or even a young player like Joel Nyström; who could be their next star blueliner.
Philadelphia can also offer a prospect like Oliver Bonk or David Jiricek however the team should really be trying to pry Rasmus Ristolainen away. Yes he's older and had injuries but is an elite two-way player still, a much better defender than Morgan Rielly and also much cheaper.
If Toronto isn't dead set on a rebuild and want to be competitive next year, then adding Ristolainen would be the best bet to add an NHL-ready talent.
Plus, it doesn't really matter; both Philly and Carolina have an absurd amount of cap space come next season and Woll could very well be brought in and extended for a big deal.
If Toronto really wanted to make a splash, they have more than enough ammunition to do so; they just have to break down they 'Wonder-Woll' in order to do so.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 25|1400 ANSWERS Joseph Woll is about to become the Maple Leafs' most valuable trade chip and Philadelphia is already circling Should the Maple Leafs trade Joseph Woll or Anthony Stolarz? | ||
| Joseph Woll | 427 | 30.5 % |
| Anthony Stolarz | 973 | 69.5 % |
| List of polls | ||