Two days ago it was Trevor Zegras and now it is Jamie Drysdale coming back to the Flyers and avoiding arbitration with a 4/$26m contract. Drysdale benefits from the rising salary cap to nab a $6.5m AAV. This puts him just ahead of fellow defenseman Travis Sanheim and keeps him with the Flyers for the same term as his best friend Zegras. Both contracts expire in 2030 and are eligible for extension starting in July 2029.
The signing brings the Flyers available cap space down to just about $14.5m this season and just over $28m for next season when Matvei Michkov will need a contract. Both Zegras and Drysdale had their extensions held up due to the Leo Carlsson offer sheet which had held $18m in cap space up in the air. With that deal no longer mattering for the Flyers, extensions for the two former Ducks were much more easily maneuvered.
Drysdale had a much improved and solid year in orange and black in 2026 and at just over 24 years old, still has room for improvement. The sticker price may be more than originally expected considering he is making more than teammates Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen but this is the reality of the salary cap rising $16m in 2 years to this year’s $104m. With the cap expected to go up another $19m in the next two years, this deal could look like a bargain very quickly.
The Flyers now have essentially everyone but Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov locked up through at least 2030 with good and moveable deals. If the Flyers want to make some moves, they have good contracts, draft picks, and money to spend. They are also very young outside of Sean Couturier.
Photo: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Philly Front Office 
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