Flyers sign Drysdale to four-year, $26-million contract

Jamie Drysdale

Jamie Drysdale was the last big-name unsigned player on the Flyers but that changed on Friday afternoon.

The Flyers signed the 24-year-old defenseman to a four-year, $26-million contract.

General manager Daniel Briere made the announcement.

“We’re excited to have Jamie remain a key part of our organization for years to come,” said Briere. “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.”

Drysdale completed his second full season with the Flyers in 2025-26, where he set career highs in goals (8) and game-winning goals (3) and tied his single-season career-high point total of 32, which ranked second among team defensemen. The blueliner saw a plus-29 improvement in plus-minus as well as a 1:30 increase in average time on ice per game from the 2024-25 campaign. This past season, Drysdale became the third-quickest defenseman from his 2020 NHL Draft class to reach the 100-point milestone.

Following the regular season, Drysdale was awarded the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy as the team’s most improved player from last season – an award that was voted on and selected by his teammates.

Drysdale made his NHL playoff debut in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and became the fifth defenseman in franchise history to score in his first postseason game. He recorded four points through 10 playoff games.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound blueliner has played parts of six NHL seasons with Philadelphia (2024-26) and Anaheim (2020-24), where he has accumulated 25 goals/102 points through 295 career games.

The Toronto, Ontario native has represented Canada at two IIHF World Junior Championships (2021, 2020 – Gold), one IIHF World Under-18 Championship (2019), and he captained his country at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He helped Canada win gold at the 2020 WJC with three points in seven games, and at 17 years and eight months, he became the youngest defenseman since Jay Bouwmeester in 2001 to play for Canada in the event.

Prior to turning professional, Drysdale played two seasons with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2018-20, where he represented the team as an alternate captain during the 2019-20 campaign.

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About Wayne Fish 3281 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.

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