July 17, 2026
James Guillory/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jamie Drysdale's game took a big leap this past season.
The Flyers got Jamie Drysdale's contract extension checked off their summer to-do list, too.
The 24-year-old defenseman signed a four-year deal at an annual cap hit of $6.5 million per, the team announced Friday, after a 2025-26 season that saw him take a significant leap as a more well-rounded blueliner.
Drysdale scored a career-best eight goals this past season, and matched a career-high 32 points that he hadn't reached since his second season in Anaheim, while managing the 20-plus minutes a night that's expected of a middle-pairing defenseman.
And he handled them well.
Drysdale jumped out of the gate last season with smoother skating – when he was already a great skater – and way more sound positioning that allowed him to control and close the gaps to oncoming puck carriers much stronger.
“We're excited to have Jamie remain a key part of our organization for years to come,” general manager Danny Brière said in a statement. "Since we acquired him, Jamie has worked extremely hard and taken big steps in his development, and has established himself as a reliable piece on our back end with the ability to impact the game in all situations. 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.”
Always thought of as a more puck-moving and offensive-minded defenseman, Drysdale instead substantially improved the actual defensive part of his game, which gradually shifted down the ice and became a key part of the Flyers' breakthrough into the playoffs.
He's a core part of the Flyers' roster now, along with center Trevor Zegras, who signed a four-year, $36.5 million extension of his own last week.
Zegras and Drysdale entered the summer as the Flyers' two main restricted free agents to get signed.
Both filed for salary arbitration earlier this month, but those decisions were generally thought of as precautionary moves to avoid a possible retaliatory offer sheet in the wake of the Flyers' attempt to pry star center Leo Carlsson away from the Ducks.
Both, however, always wanted to be in Philadelphia, and it was generally believed, too, that a deal would get done for each well before any arbitration hearing.
Now, no one has to think twice about it.
The Flyers still have depth winger Nikita Grebenkin and defensive prospect Hunter McDonald left on their RFA docket for the summer, but those are smaller-scale deals that figure to be taken care of way before training camp in September.
Drysdale's extension will kick in with the coming 2026-27 season, and will pay him on a similar scale as leading defenseman Travis Sanheim, who is getting paid at $6.25 million annually. And between what both players bring to the blueline, along with the rising salary cap, that's extremely solid value for the Flyers to be getting out of two of their top-four defensemen – even more so when you account for Cam York making $5.15 million a year also.
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