Jamie Drysdale’s tenure as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t start off on the hottest note. That context is to emphasize how impressive his recent play has been. Since returning from an upper-body injury on Dec. 8, the 22-year-old defenseman has been a completely different player.
How was Drysdale playing before? What’s changed, and what does it mean for the Flyers?
Drysdale’s Underwhelming Start in Philadelphia
The expectation was always that Drysdale might take a bit of time to develop into a capable NHL player. That was for many reasons, but particularly his injury woes. His later years with the Anaheim Ducks were marred by them—he nearly missed the entire 2022-23 season and his capabilities were severely limited in 2023-24 after another setback.
Combined with having scattered NHL experience and being a young defenseman, Drysdale saw another challenge when he was traded to the Flyers on Jan. 8, 2024—learning a new system wasn’t going to be easy. This trade made the Flyers’ hunt for the playoffs more strenuous and magnified Drysdale’s own issues, as he was unable to mesh with the team right away. Considering he was battling mounting ailments including a sports hernia from start to finish, could he really be blamed?
Now, that was 2023-24. But some premature concerns became more legitimate when his play saw an objective decline early this season. Per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time during his first 15 games, high-danger chances, expected goals, and goals favored the opposition by a margin of 60 percent or more when he was on the ice. In that time frame, he was one of seven defensemen with 100 minutes of ice time who were outplayed to this degree.
Having Drysdale hop over the boards was hurting the Flyers pretty badly, and the causes were slightly worrying. His defensive zone play wasn’t very good—which is to be expected for an offensive defenseman—but his puck-moving skills seemed to be lacking, which was the real kicker. He wasn’t adequately helping the Flyers transition from defense to offense, which was supposed to be his bread and butter. With his talent, his ability to create quality counterattacks should have been enough to almost offset any defensive learning curves, in theory. But the offense wasn’t coming.
Drysdale’s passing and spatial awareness in particular left a lot to be desired, both of which were detrimental to the Flyers. To make matters worse, he suffered yet another injury on Nov. 9, stifling any chance at redemption.
Drysdale Is a Brand-New Player
Since returning to the Flyers’ lineup, it’s like Drysdale is a completely different player—it speaks to the progress he has made in such a short time. You could make the argument that his two best games as a Flyer were the two following his ailment, contests versus the Utah Hockey Club (Dec. 8) and Columbus Blue Jackets (Dec. 10). Combined, he had a primary assist and a plus-4 rating on 18:41 of average ice time—his highest two-game stretch as a Flyer was previously a plus-2 rating, just for reference.
Let’s hone in on his game against Columbus, which was perhaps his best in the Orange and Black. His growth was noticeable from the opening shift, carrying the puck from his zone to the Blue Jackets’ all by himself. Later in the first period, he joined a rush and dished off to Owen Tippett for a goal. When all was said and done, he had an on-ice share of 80 percent or more in shots, expected goals, and goals at even strength.
Tippett's so hot, he's firing from anywhere. 🔥#PHIvsCBJ | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/lmcR5ZGfbM
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 11, 2024
For Drysdale, it’s more than about having a great game. Encouragingly, he showed signs of confidence and got terrific results in turn. Going end-to-end for a zone entry and joining the rush were things he wasn’t even attempting just a month ago. Whether he was still recovering from injury or he worked effortlessly to get up to speed in his absence, the changes he made are noticeable and they are working.
Flyers’ X-Factor for Returning to the Playoffs Is Drysdale
Early in the season, the Flyers’ defense was an area of concern. It had clearly regressed from where it was a season ago, feeling the hurt of Sean Walker’s departure at the 2024 trade deadline. Then, Emil Andrae got his chance. The 22-year-old provided a much-needed spark following his call-up, basically reviving the defense with his ability to get the puck up the ice and keep it out of harm’s way. The Flyers are 11-5-3 when he’s in the lineup, highlighting the impact a player like this can have on a team. Drysdale can be his mirror image.
Related: Flyers’ Emil Andrae Is Adding Much-Needed Spark to the Defense
Since their turnaround, the Flyers have been right in the mix for a wildcard spot—they’d be in the playoffs if NHL action stopped after their win in Columbus. But it’s a tight race this season, with the seventh-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning sitting just five points ahead of the last-place Montreal Canadiens. If Drysdale’s transformation is legitimate, the odds of the Orange and Black breaking their four-year playoff drought will receive quite the boost.
The path for Drysdale being effective is a bit different from Andrae, but the results can be the same. Further tilting the ice in the favor of the Orange and Black will allow for more opportunities to score and fewer to give up goals—simple, right? If he’s able to put his talent to good use as he has in his past two games, Drysdale could help the Flyers gain some wiggle room in the hunt for a postseason nod.
During his first 39 games in Philadelphia, Drysdale didn’t look like he belonged in the NHL at all. With a month-long absence due to injury behind him, not only is he living up to the expectations of the best hockey league in the world, but he has frequently been the most dangerous player on the ice. If Drysdale’s development is for real, the Flyers may establish themselves as more than a subtle threat for the playoffs.
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick