Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka has sent a message: Change is coming. The change he has brought to the roster might not have been the priority for the overhaul that the Leafs need, but he’s made his work a lot easier.

Emil Andrae and Samuel Ersson weren’t what Chayka wanted in this deal. Andrae will be in a similar situation to Henry Thrun, and may have an opportunity to make a case for NHL defensive depth. Ersson is a potential goaltender capable of clearing waivers and sliding into the three spot on the depth chart behind Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby, giving a veteran option before testing Artur Akhtyamov. With no guarantees around Hildeby, Akhtyamov, and Stolarz’s health, making him seem like a 50% of the season option, Ersson has a role to fill. It’s a lot to assume that even Ersson and Andrae are qualified by the Leafs, as both are restricted free agents.

The appeal for Chayka is balancing the goaltending situation, making space on the blueline, freeing up another $5M to spend over the summer, and landing an additional third-round pick in the process. In his words, the deal was about “flexibility.”

Both Ersson and Andrae will receive a contract offer that the majority of the cap hit (or all of it) is buriable in the AHL, and perhaps a bonus structure and term that would make teams pause about claiming them on waivers. There is upside and age to both players that make them worth a look.

Ersson was the second-worst goaltender in the NHL last season, ahead of only Jordan Binnington. He had -16.5 goals saved above expected, and finished the year with a .870 save percentage. At 26, he’s a reclamation project to say the least.

Andrae at 5’9 is undersized. He’s not being brought in to hit anyone, and should be viewed as a third-pairing puck-moving option. His workload dropped as the season went on, and he was down to 11 minutes a night in the playoffs. His on-ice shot differentials were on the positive side of things in his sheltered usage, but that would be the same usage he’d receive on the Leafs.

Simon Benoit, on the other hand, is a player who has run his course with the Leafs. He is in the way of players like Ben Danford and William Villeneuve, and depending on how crowded the left side of the blueline is, there isn’t a regular opportunity for him.

Joseph Woll’s departure is the move that could hurt Toronto. Skill-wise, he hasn’t matched peak Stolarz, but his consistency and calmness have helped the club. If Stolarz doesn’t rebound to his 2024-25 results and can’t stay healthy, the Leafs might have parted ways with the wrong netminder.

The Leafs now have $29.7M to work with in the off-season before considering their 10% cap overage allowed during the summer and potentially starting next season with Max Domi on the LTIR. They are open for business. The Maple Leafs also now have four picks in the top 85 selections of the draft this year. Improving the prospect pipeline is a nice benefit to this deal.