The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed defenseman Jamie Drysdale to a four-year contract extension carrying a $6.5 million annual average value, avoiding arbitration. Drysdale, 24, posted 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 78 games in 2025-26, second among Flyers defensemen, and has 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists) in 172 games with Philadelphia since being acquired on Jan. 8, 2024, in the trade for Cutter Gauthier. Drysdale recently completed a three-year, $2.3 million AAV deal originally signed with Anaheim and has played 148 of a possible 164 regular-season games the last two seasons combined after early-career injuries. The team and coaches credited noticeable improvement in Drysdale’s defensive game last season, with him skating mostly alongside Cam York in a top-four role. Drysdale finished third on the club in power-play ice time even as the Flyers ranked last in the league with a 15.7 percent power-play success rate; coach Rick Tocchet said Drysdale is working to increase the power-play shot this summer. In his first playoff appearance, Drysdale had two goals, two assists and 16 shots in 10 games. The extension is the fourth contract the Flyers’ general manager Danny Briere has handed out since July 1, further locking in Philadelphia’s defensive core and keeping Drysdale under club control for multiple seasons.
