Jamie Drysdale signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 21-year-old defenseman was a restricted free agent and had yet to join his teammates during training camp. He was back on the ice with them Friday.
“It's definitely good that it's behind me,” Drysdale said. “It was a pretty weird situation, but I'm just happy to be back with the guys. The team welcomed me with open arms, and I couldn't be happier to be back.
“It's no secret that I haven't played in a while with last year, but I had a great offseason, long offseason, healthy. Obviously, back here, make the most of the next couple days or whatnot, however much time we have left, and I feel great.”
Drysdale had no points in eight games with Anaheim last season before having season-ending surgery for a torn labrum sustained at the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 28.
Selected by the Ducks with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Drysdale has 40 points (seven goals, 33 assists) in 113 NHL games.
“We couldn't be happier,” Anaheim forward Troy Terry said. “He's one of those kids that you love to be around. He does things the right way. I know it was hard for him not being able to play last year and we missed him on the ice and just having him around, so we're all excited to have him back.
“It [stinks] he had to miss some of camp, but I know he's itching to get back and he's another player that we'll instantly get better when we get him, and another guy that we're just excited to have around because he's such a good kid.”
Drysdale is the second restricted free agent to get a new contract with Anaheim this week; center Trevor Zegras signed a three-year contract Monday.
After reporting to Ducks training camp Tuesday, Zegras spoke about Drysdale's contract situation.
"I talk to Jamie pretty much every day," Zegras said. "Obviously going through this is tough. When you've got your best buddy going through it too, it makes it a lot easier, so definitely checking in with him pretty much every day."
Anaheim opens the 2023-24 season at Vegas on Oct. 14 (10 p.m. ET; BSSC, BSSD, SCRIPPS).
“Obviously, he's not a big defender (5-foot-11, 183 pounds), but he's strong, he's quick on pucks,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “I think he'll help us break out of our zone quickly, add an element to the offense that we need, so I'm looking forward to watching him.
“Just for us as coaches, we can start putting guys in places where we think they're going to be successful. Obviously, it's going to have a domino effect on the team. Jamie's a big piece. He's a top four [defenseman].”
NHL.com independent correspondent Dan Arritt contributed to this report
