Philadelphia Flyers Sign Jamie Drysdale to 4-Year Extension – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

Less than 48 hours after signing the former Anaheim Duck to a four-year deal before a scheduled decision hearing, the Philadelphia Flyers took him back.

In this case, Jamie Drysdale signed up on the last day of the week before he had a hearing to confirm a new contract. The Raiders have agreed to a four-year deal with an average annual salary of $6.5 million to complete their final significant work needed in the offseason.

Like the Trevor Zegras deal, a mid-term commitment to reasonable pitching has pros and cons. Here are some thoughts on the 24-year-old’s new contract.

Value Now, Uncertainty Later

Given what other defensemen have signed this offseason, a $6.5 million hit is more than reasonable for Drysdale. He’s better than half of Bowen Byram, who signed a $12.5 million annual contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He is more proven than Šimon Nemec, who signed a $7.25 million contract with the Calgary Flames that only eats up one year of unrestricted free agency (UFA) eligibility. Drysdale’s deal cost two, as did Zegras’ extension signed on Wednesday night.

The 2025-26 season was easily the best of Drysdale’s career. He set a new career high with eight goals, tied his career high with 32 points, and averaged more than 90 seconds of ice time per game. His all-around game came along well, and perhaps most importantly, he stayed healthy for most of his games since 2021-22.

It’s hard to see this being a bad contract for the Flyers before it expires in 2031, but it might be that when it is. Becoming a UFA at age 28, Drysdale could be in a position to cash in quickly, especially if he takes another step forward. Even if he doesn’t, the increased salary should get him a nice raise. If the cap is, say, $135 million (an inaccurate but reasonable estimate), this contract will equal a signing of $8.4375 million.

At that point, Drysdale will be eligible for a contract that makes him 35 years old (the maximum re-signing period will be seven years this fall). While that doesn’t put him in full obsolescence, it’s enough to put him at risk of obsolescence, and that’s before getting the team’s cap structure. That’s complicated because Zegras and Cam York also hit the market that summer, among other future developments to come.

The Flyers still have nearly $14 million in cap space left, according to PuckPedia. Only two standout players are free agents next summer: Rasmus Ristolainen, who will likely leave or be traded, and Matvei Michkov, who will be a restricted free agent. There is certainly a window for general manager Daniel Brière to make a big move soon. But if that kicks too far down the road, the Flyers could end up having too many balls in the air at once after not signing Zegras or Drysdale to true long-term deals.

Grading This Deal

Again, the problem with this is not the contract itself, but what happens when it ends. The deal comes with a modified no-trade clause for the final two seasons, so Drysdale has some control behind it. But he’ll have full control of his situation in 2031, when the cap is likely to increase significantly and the Flyers will be in dire need of good contracts.

The decision is a B grade because $6.5 million is a reasonable price for Drysdale now and would be a straight steal in year four. Five years from now, we’ll see how it plays out.