As we enter into the home stretch of the Top 25 under 25, we meet our highest ranked defender in the smooth skating, surprisingly solid, Jamie Drysdale. A player who was most known for his offense early on in his career, he has rounded out his game and become a truly important piece to the Flyers, both on and off the ice.
No. 4: Jamie Drysdale
2025-26 Primary League/Team: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2025-26 Statistics: 78 GP, 8 G, 24 A, 32 PTS
Age as of 8/25/2026: 24
Acquired Via: Trade with Anaheim Ducks (2024)
How did Drysdale’s 2025-26 season go?
After a rocky start to his Flyers career after coming over as the centerpiece in the infamous Cutter Gauthier trade, Drysdale took a massive step forward in his second full season in Philadelphia. And while it’s not necessarily surprising that a player as talented as he is was able to find his stride, the way in which he did it was somewhat of a shock.
When he was drafted in 2020, and even throughout his early career with the Ducks, it was always assumed that Drysdale was going to find his ceiling through being an electric offensive defenseman, who was capable of quarterbacking a power play and scoring upwards of 50 points a season. And while he didn’t find that level of production this past season, he did take a massive step forward in a way that most observers didn’t really expect. Throughout the entire regular season and then into the playoffs, Drysdale played a surprisingly stout defensive game, and looked more and more comfortable throughout the year as he grew into a jack-of-all trades defender who played significant minutes alongside Cam York, Nick Seeler, and Emil Andrae, posting very solid advanced metrics with all three of them.
But perhaps the most impressive development surrounded Drysdale’s ability to be deployed in any situation. His need to be sheltered with offensive zone minutes dissipated, and gained his coaching staff’s confidence throughout the entire season before ultimately playing some of his best hockey in the Flyers round one win over the Penguins, where his five-hole goal played a massive part in helping the Flyers take both games in Pittsburgh.
He looked strong and confident retrieving pucks in the corner despite a tenacious forecheck, and seemed to stand up to the pressures of playoff hockey quite well. It was a fitting end to an encouraging bounce back season from one of the Flyers’ most exciting young defenders, and likely helped lead to his four-year, 6.5 million dollar a year extension that he received later in the offseason.
What are we expecting from Drysdale this season?
Drysdale has seemingly found a rhythm within the Flyers’ defensive structure, and now has some job security through his shiny new extension, so the future looks bright for him. The next step to truly realizing all of his potential is finding a role as a power play threat, something that he hasn’t really been able to do with Philadelphia just yet. To be fair, the blame for that doesn’t fall on Drysdale’s shoulders alone, as the Flyers power play as a whole hasn’t been able to find any sort of sustained success, despite having a host of players who you would think could combine to create at least one good unit, if not multiple.
The only real new addition to the Flyers back end that could lend a hand on the power play is David Jiricek, who still has to prove that he can even make an NHL roster at all. So Drysdale will get another shot to quarterback either PP1 or PP2, which should lead to another jump in points if the Flyers are able to finally find some sort of reliability with their man advantage play. The 50 point mark seems like a realistic bar for Drysdale if he is able to mold his newfound confidence with a jump in offensive aggressiveness. It may be a lot to ask, but we’ve seen the skill in spurts throughout his young career, and now that he has a more stable position within the organization, expect another step from the young rearguard in 2026-27.
How does Drysdale fit in the Flyers’ organization?
Drysdale has an opportunity to be much more than just a second pair defender for the Flyers. The difference between him and someone like Cam York is that potential high-end offensive skill that he could bring to the table. But even if he didn’t realize his potential to be a power play quarterback, he has worked himself into a place where he will definitely be, at bare minimum, a quality second pair defender who now is battle-tested and more rugged than a lot of people may have thought initially. He is on the small side at 5 ’11, 185 pounds, which isn’t necessarily advantageous for a Flyers D corps that is lacking in size, but he does bring a puck-moving component that is very much needed in today’s NHL.
And crucially, he fits the age timeline that the Flyers are building towards, as someone who just turned 24 years old in April. He is in it for the long haul, and seems to have fit into the Flyers cultural revolution seamlessly alongside his former Anaheim teammate Trevor Zegras. He should be a lynchpin on whatever the next true contending Flyers team ends up looking like.
What do we think Drysdale’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
Drysdale may be one of the older members of this year’s 25 under 25 list, but there’s still a lot more left in the tank for him upside-wise. His offensive game still hasn’t fully broken out, but on the defensive side of the puck he has reached a level that not many thought was really possible, and that has really increased his potential ceiling. It’s not a guarantee that he becomes an elite PP1 quarterback, but he is in a situation with the right weapons around him to theoretically create a better unit than the Flyers have had in years past. His comfortability within the organization has also finally put him in a position, unlike early in his career with Anaheim, where he is a bit more sheltered from heavy expectations. He will not be thrown into the fire the same way he was there, but even if he was, he’s fostered a lot more confidence that he would be able to handle it.
It just feels like a breakout is imminent for Drysdale after two consecutive seasons where he’s been healthy and only getting better, and it would boost the Flyers immensely if he was able to reach at least 80% of what scouts thought he could be when he was drafted back in 2020.
How we voted
…At No. 4:
| Brad | Jamie Drysdale |
| Cole | Jamie Drysdale |
| Evan | Jamie Drysdale |
| Jason M | Denver Barkey |
| Kelly | Jamie Drysdale |
| Kurt | Jamie Drysdale |
| Maddie | Jamie Drysdale |
| Readers | Jamie Drysdale |
| Ryan G | Jamie Drysdale |
| Thomas | Denver Barkey |
For Jamie Drysdale:
| Brad | 4 |
| Cole | 4 |
| Evan | 4 |
| Jason M | 5 |
| Kelly | 4 |
| Kurt | 4 |
| Maddie | 4 |
| Readers | 4 |
| Ryan G | 4 |
| Thomas | 5 |
