Coming off career highs, Drysdale agrees to new 4-year contract with Flyers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
To no real surprise, the Flyers and Jamie Drysdale did not need an arbitration hearing to nail down a new deal.
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The two sides got it done Friday, agreeing to a four-year, $26 million contract. The deal has a $6.5 million average annual value. It has a modified no-trade clause in Years 3 and 4, according to PuckPedia.com.
The skilled and shifty defenseman was a restricted free agent with a player-elected arbitration hearing set for this upcoming Monday, per PuckPedia.com. But general manager Danny Briere avoided it. He did the same with Trevor Zegras two days ago.
Drysdale will be an unrestricted free agent when his new contract expires after the 2029-30 season. He now makes the most money among defensemen on the Flyers.
“We’re excited to have Jamie remain a key part of our organization for years to come,” Briere said in a statement released by the team. “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.”
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The 24-year-old set career highs last season with eight goals and 21:33 minutes per game. He also matched his career high in points with 32. He added two goals, two assists, 16 shots and 16 blocked shots over 10 games in his first NHL playoffs.
“I think the biggest step was just confidence level,” Drysdale said in May at his end-of-the-season press conference. … “I think just coming to the rink and believing I was a good player and could make an impact, that was probably the biggest shift for me. I guess that kind of carries all over the ice.”
At just 21 years old, Drysdale arrived to the Flyers with a ton of pressure on his shoulders. He was the player the Flyers received in the stunning Cutter Gauthier trade, so expectations were inevitably high.
His overall game has come a long way in parts of three seasons with the Flyers. In 2025-26, he had his best defensive season as an NHLer, recording a plus-1 mark at 5-on-5. The previous season, he was a minus-15.
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Now the Flyers are looking for Drysdale to build on it. The next step would be his effectiveness at the point on the power play. The Flyers’ league-worst man advantage is desperate for answers.
Last season, Drysdale led Flyers defensemen in power play ice time with 2:19 minutes per game. But he had nine points (one goal, eight assists) on the power play, which was tied for 35th among NHL defensemen.
“I think there are a lot of things that I want to work on,” Drysdale said, “and I think I can bring a lot more to the table, as well, in certain areas.”
Nikita Grebenkin and Hunter McDonald are the Flyers’ remaining restricted free agents that need new deals this offseason.
