Flyers ‘hungry’ to take next step after ending playoff drought, Drysdale says

TORONTO -- Jamie Drysdale cannot wait for the Philadelphia Flyers’ season to begin.

The Flyers are set to enter training camp with a ton of confidence thanks, in part, to a late-season push that earned them a Stanley Cup Playoff berth and an eventual six-game series win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

“It first just shows we can be a good team in the League and second of all, once you get that sniff, it’s a cliché, but I think it’s very true -- it was my first time making the playoffs and I think that is going to be the standard now -- and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Drysdale told NHL.com at the Circle of Champions event at Scotiabank Pond on Tuesday in support of New Circles, Toronto's largest free clothing bank.

“I think within the locker room, the confidence is there and the chemistry is there as well. Weirdly enough, you look at the lead-up to the playoffs last year, there were a lot of teams in the mix and I don’t think a lot of people had us as the front-runners.”

The Flyers (43-27-12), who were eight points out of a playoff spot entering Feb. 25 after the break for the Winter Olympics ended last season, went 18-7-1 to finish third in the Metropolitan Division, ending their five-year playoff drought.

What clicked?

“It was just kind of a phase where we knew we needed to get hot,” the 24-year-old defenseman said. “We put ourselves in a good spot around Christmas and then we had a bad month and that can take you out when it’s that tight. We knew we needed to be a really good team and not just play good hockey but win hockey games.

“We came together and it just clicked. Getting into the playoffs and playing that first round was a blast against Pittsburgh. We couldn’t write it much better, so we are all hungry coming in this year.”

Despite being swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, the Flyers, including president of hockey operations Keith Jones and general manager Daniel Briere, were encouraged enough by what they saw to take an aggressive approach during the offseason.

On July 3, Philadelphia signed restricted free agent forward Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet ($18 million average annual value) with the hope of making the 21-year-old their No. 1 center.

Though the Anaheim Ducks ultimately matched the offer to retain Carlsson on July 9, Drysdale said the aggressive attempt sent a message to the team.

“I think everyone within our locker room and everyone that wasn’t in our locker room probably had the same reaction,” Drysdale said. “It was obviously a big splash and it shows our team, our management, everyone is looking to add and everyone is committed -- guys in the locker room, guys up top, guys in management -- that we are trying to make this work with our group and add where we can. I think the confidence is there and we showed last year we can be a team and make a splash.”

The Flyers, who open the season at home against the Penguins on Sept. 30 (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT), are laden with young talent. Leading the way is forward Porter Martone, the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, who joined the team late in the season after finishing his freshman campaign with Michigan State University.

Martone, who will turn 20 on Oct. 26, made an immediate impact with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in nine regular-season games and five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 playoff games. Forwards Denver Barkey, 21, (43 games) and Alex Bump, 22, (17 games) each made his NHL debut last season while forward Matvei Michkov 21, is entering the final season of his three-year, entry level contract. All three hold high expectations.

Drysdale said he is demanding more of himself as he begins his third full season with the Flyers. He has 102 points (25 goals, 77 assists) through 295 career games and the security of a four-year, $26 million contract ($6.5 million AAV) signed on July 17 eliminated any doubts about his future. While the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft battled injuries early in his career, back-to-back seasons of at least 70 games played have left him confident he can elevate his game.

“Had the injury bug for a little bit there, but I’m feeling great,” Drysdale said. “The first year in Philadelphia was just honestly stay healthy and play as many games as you can and last year was like, all right, I’ve been around here long enough and it’s time to go and show what I can do. I had a good year, not great, but I still think there’s a lot I can show, a lot I can do, so I feel really good going into this year.

“Just participate a lot more across the board. Offensively make more plays. Play with more confidence, keep growing that and make more and more of an impact night in and night out.”