Jamie Drysdale signed a four-year, $26 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. It has an average annual value of $6.5 million.
The 24-year-old defenseman, who was a restricted free agent, avoided a salary arbitration hearing.
“We’re excited to have Jamie remain a key part of our organization for years to come,” Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said. “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 tied his NHL career high with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 78 regular-season games for Philadelphia last season. He also had four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Drysdale has 102 points (25 goals, 77 assists) in 295 regular-season games with the Flyers and Ducks.
Drysdale was acquired by Philadelphia in the trade for Cutter Gauthier on Jan. 8, 2024.
The signing comes two days after the Flyers signed forward Trevor Zegras to a four-year, $36.5 million contract ($9.125 million). Zegras had also filed for arbitration.
He had NHL career highs with 26 goals and 67 points in 81 regular-season games last season and had six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 playoff games.
