Trades between Atlantic Division rivals, the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, are not all that uncommon. And on Friday, one more was added to the list.
The Sens and Leafs completed a seemingly minor trade in which Ottawa acquired RFA goalie Samuel Ersson in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
On the Maple Leafs’ side, the deal was pretty much inconsequential. Ersson was a throw-in as part of the trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that sent Joseph Woll to Philly.
For the Senators, the deal actually addressed a major need. That need was a backup goalie to incumbent Linus Ullmark.
Make no mistake. Ersson isn’t exactly a Vezina Trophy winner waiting in the wings. He’s a backup at best at this point in his career. The Flyers gave the 26-year-old a real shot at being the starter. However, he just couldn’t hold on to the spot.
This season, the former fifth-round pick from the 2018 NHL Draft lost the starting role to Dan Vladar. As such, the writing was on the wall for Ersson. The Flyers weren’t going to re-sign him, and, well, the Leafs ended up taking him as part of the cost of doing business.
The Senators, meanwhile, have an opportunity to sign up a solid backup goalie at a reduced rate. Ersson is coming off a two-year, $2.9 million deal. He’s got a $1.4 million qualifying offer this summer. It’s hard to envisage the Sens not picking that up and, consequently, signing him.
The likeliest outcome here is a one-year deal around that amount. The aim will be to give Ersson one more realistic shot at the NHL this coming season.
What can Senators expect from Ersson?
All told, the Senators can’t expect Ersson to be a world-beater. While the change of scenery should help the Swedish netminder push the reset button, he’ll be earmarked to ride the bench for most of the season.
Nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out that Ersson might see a lot more action than the average backup. It’s evident that Ullmark isn’t the sort of goalie that will start upwards of 50 games. That’s why it wouldn’t be strange to see Ersson get about 30 to 35 starts. Considering that next season will feature an 84-game season, Ersson could see quite a bit of action.
When looking at the grander scheme of things, this deal could become a great one for the Sens. They get a decent young netminder for a late-round pick. It won’t cost the organization much to re-sign him, while addressing a major need for next season.
If Ersson pans out, it wouldn’t be outrageous to see the club ink him to a long-term deal. But that’s a bridge that everyone will cross when it comes.
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