Acquired by the Flyers from the Anaheim Ducks on January 8, 2024, defenseman Jamie Drysdale needs, above all else, to stay healthy during the 2024-25 season. Drysdale has the tools to be a higher-end offensive defenseman in the National Hockey League, and is still adjusting in his young career.
When healthy, the 22-year-old possesses well above-average mobility to go along with his puck skills. Drysdale was selected by the Ducks with the sixth overall selection of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft for a reason: If he eventually approaches his offensive ceiling, he'd become an impact player.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ontario Hockey League canceled its entire 2020-21 season. As a result, an 18-year-old Drysdale found himself playing professional hockey -- 24 games in the NHL with Anaheim, 28 games in the American Hockey League with the San Diego Gulls -- in what otherwise would have been his Draft-plus-one season in the OHL.
The next year, Drysdale started to show hints of his promise at the NHL level. Anaheim was a struggling team and it was evident that Drysdale had work to do with his defensive play and overall consistency. Nonetheless, a 32-point season (4g, 28a) in the NHL while dressing in 81 of 82 games represented encouraging progress for a 19-year-old.
Unfortunately, each of the last two seasons have been marred by significant injury issues. Left shoulder surgery limited Drysdale to just eight games in 2022-23.
This past campaign, even prior to coming to Philadelphia, Drysdale played through a core muscle issue that somewhat hindered his skating. He also dealt with a latter-season injury (left shoulder) from an open-ice hit he took in a game in Pittsburgh but returned for the stretch-drive of the season.
"I've technically been in the League for four years, but I always say I've only played about a year and a half," Drysdale told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "Just playing a full year, showing what I can do, what I know I can do, I think that kind of went under wraps the last couple years to be honest with you."
The Ducks play a different defensive system than the Flyers. Under John Tortorella and Brad Shaw, the Flyers play a zone defense whereas Anaheim utilized a man-to-man coverage style. Even when the Flyers first acquired the player, Tortorella made clear that the adjustment would take time for the player, and the systems crash course was not the only adjustment ahead in Drysdale's ongoing development. He's still learning how to play successfully in the NHL, in terms of best using his natural abilities on the offensive end of the ice and in transition.
"I just don’t think he’s up the ice enough offensively," Tortorella said at the time Philadelphia acquired Drysdale. "I want him to go more. He’s a candidate to be like a rover. Not a defenseman, a rover. He’s just on top of the ice the way he skates."
In his Flyers debut, Drysdale connected with Morgan Frost on a power play goal in a 3-2 home shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on January 10, 2024. Drysdale sent Frost a pass that enabled the forward to catch the puck while skating downhill and, in one motion, fired the puck goalie Cayden Primeau from above the dot.
On January 23, Drysdale's sixth game as a Flyer, the blueliner again showed chemistry with Frost. This time, Frost provided the setup pass and Drysdale was the power play goal scorer for his first tally as a Flyer. He also had a power play goal against the Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Hockey Club) on Feb. 12. Among Drysdale's five points in 24 games with Philly last season, all involved Frost (three), Travis Konecny (two) and/or Owen Tippett (one).
