"It's definitely a relief. Contract-year summers, getting it done is an interesting thing," Drysdale said on Monday. "But honestly, went kind of smooth for the most part, and definitely relieved, and just thrilled, excited. It's a place I want to play for for as long as I can, so just super excited that I got four more years."
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.
"We're excited to have Jamie remain a key part of our organization for years to come," Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said Friday. "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 was acquired by Philadelphia in the trade for Cutter Gauthier on Jan. 8, 2024.
"I think there's a lot of little things that I can work on, just when I get the puck, head fake, looking off, things like that, a little bit more deceptiveness, and obviously the main kicker is just shooting more," Drysdale said. "Been pretty continuously working on my shot over the last year and throughout this summer. Something that I'm going to come in confident with and use as a weapon, and kind of take it from there."
The signing came 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.
