July 21, 2026
Charles LeClaire/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jamie Drysdale evolved into a much more complete defenseman this past season.
The Flyers reached the point two years ago where they were just trying to get to the finish line.
John Tortorella was fired as the head coach after the team fell into a spiral of 11 losses in 12 games, and Brad Shaw oversaw the team in the interim, letting them play free, but for what was only a temporary boost to close out the 2024-25 season.
They finally got to that last Game 82 in Buffalo, with their year already well shot, and lost 5-4.
Defenseman Jamie Drysdale finished the game minus-3, and for the season, he was minus-32 with just 20 points for a skater branded as a puck mover.
So moving into that summer, Drysdale only had one thought: He's much better than that, and needed to prove it.
Twelve months and a ton of work later, Drysdale turned in his most complete season yet, and the Flyers made the playoffs after falling short for the prior five years.
Drysdale was always a fluid skater, but he came into last season stronger on the walls and suddenly tightening the gaps to oncoming puck carriers much quicker.
The actual defensive part of his game got better, and between himself, Cam York, Travis Sanheim, and Rasmus Ristolainen, it gave the Flyers a respectable top-four blueline that was good enough to keep up with a lot of teams, which meant they were good enough to make and hang in there with the playoff field.
So Drysdale was right. He was a lot better than the defenseman he left as when the Flyers were limping to the end of 2025. The whole team was, really.
And they want to see if there's a lot more to it now.
Drysdale, who entered this summer as a restricted free agent, signed a four-year, $6.5 million annual contract extension last week, just a couple of days after teammates Trevor Zegras – who became a difference-maker for the Flyers as a center – signed a four-year, $9.125 million per season deal as an RFA himself.
It was a relief, Drysdale said during a Zoom call with the media on Monday. Philly became the only place he wanted to be, and the place he wants to stay in for as long as he can.
But it isn't a place to grow content.
He knew he was a better player than the one that left 2025, and he thinks he can be even better than the far more consistent one that walked away from 2026.
"[It was] just the recognition that I needed to step up," Drysdale said. "I did not have a good year the year before, so that was part 1 of going into the season with a different mindset. Part 2, [it was] just the staff, the coaches, teammates, honestly everything across the board. So many people played a part in it, and just the encouragement, the belief from all aspects...
"Yeah, it was a good year. I think there's still a lot more in the tank, though."
And he isn't alone.
Zegras will be looking to see how far he can go as a center after getting switched in from the wing in the back half of last season. Core young pieces Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump will be getting their first full NHL seasons, and Matvei Michkov, after a difficult sophomore slump, is trying to come back on a "vengeance tour."
Then above, in the front office, general manager Danny Brière tried to pry on-the-rise center Leo Carlsson away from the Anaheim Ducks with a record five-year, $90 million offer sheet that would've changed the outlook of the Flyers overnight. The Ducks ultimately matched, but it at least sent a message that the Flyers are serious about getting better by any means necessary.
And internally, with a relatively young roster, there's still a lot of room to naturally get better from within.
"I mean, this league, there's always moving parts across the board," Drysdale said. "But I've been fortunate. I played with most of the group here for the last three-four years. So, like everyone will kind of keep beating, it's an unbelievable group. It's also one which I think there's a lot of guys that, including myself, are just ready to take steps year in and year out.
"It's just exciting for us, and everyone knows we're gonna work our butts off in the offseason and come back with higher expectations this coming year."
Because Drysdale knew he could be so much better than what he was, and can still be better than the well-rounded defenseman he formed into last season.
The whole team around him knows they can still get better, too.
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