The Philadelphia Flyers made a significant move to shore up their defensive core on Friday, inking defenseman Jamie Drysdale to a four-year contract worth $26 million.
The deal, which carries an average annual value of $6.5 million, keeps the 24-year-old off the arbitration table and under contract with Philadelphia through the 2029-30 season.
The timing of the signing comes on the heels of Drysdale’s strongest NHL campaign to date. During the 2025-26 season, he set a career high with eight goals — including three game-winners — and matched his personal best with 32 points across 78 games, finishing second among Flyers defensemen in scoring.
General manager Daniel Briere expressed confidence in the young blueliner’s trajectory. “Since we acquired him, Jamie has worked extremely hard and taken big steps in his development,” Briere said. “We believe his best hockey is still ahead of him, and he’s going to play an important role in strengthening our blue line as we continue to build.”
Drysdale’s impact on the team was also recognized by his peers, as his teammates voted him the recipient of the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, which is presented each year to Philadelphia’s most improved player.
The Toronto native came to the Flyers in January 2024 in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, with Philadelphia sending forward Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim along with a 2025 second-round draft pick. Drysdale was originally drafted sixth overall by Anaheim in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Across his NHL career, Drysdale has accumulated 25 goals and 77 assists in 295 games split between the Ducks and Flyers. Last season, he surpassed the 100-career-point milestone, becoming the third-fastest defenseman from his draft class to reach that mark.
