Right-handed defenseman Jamie Drysdale is a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, and better yet, he is just 21 with loads of upside. His last two seasons in the NHL have been plagued by injury, but general manager (GM) Danny Briere’s acquisition inspired confidence that he’s up to full strength and ready for action whenever.
Related: Flyers Acquire Jamie Drysdale From Ducks in Blockbuster Trade
With that being said, there are still some areas where Drysdale needs to improve as a player. Thankfully, there might not be a better place for that than in Philadelphia. He has the tools and the Flyers have the system in place for them to be utilized, it’s just all about executing at this time. Time and patience will be needed, but Philadelphia is a place for him to flourish, not fail.
Flyers’ System Can Make the Most of Drysdale
When he’s been on the ice so far in his young career, Drysdale has shown flashes of the brilliant offense that got him taken with the sixth-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Still, he hasn’t graded out particularly well to this point. His career expected goals above replacement (xGAR) is rather poor, but that can be attributed to many things. Consistent basement finishes in the standings for the Anaheim Ducks, a below-average power play in that span, a not-so-great offense in his four seasons there, the injuries he suffered, and being relied upon a bit too much as a youngster definitely didn’t help his case.
Now that Drysdale has relocated to a more defense-friendly situation, it’s a chance for him to finally blossom. Assistant coach Brad Shaw works with defensemen on the current roster and can be largely thanked for the team’s strong play on that front this season. Expected to be one of the worst defensive units in the entire NHL after shedding some talent in the offseason, the Flyers actually grade out as one of the best in the entire NHL.
As the Flyers’ eighth-best expected goals against per 60 of 2.85 would indicate, many defenders that weren’t expected to have taken jumps. 29-year-old Rasmus Ristolainen used to be one of the worst all-around players in analytics, but now grades out as a solid piece. In addition, defenders Nick Seeler and Sean Walker have combined to make one of the best second pairings in the entire league with a rather impressive 2.37 expected goals against per 60 as a duo. Neither were big names when they entered Philadelphia in their late 20s, but that has changed drastically.
Now, we enter Drysdale into the equation. If there was anyone who could fix both his offensive and defensive woes, it would be Shaw and head coach John Tortorella. Players much older than him and with less perceived upside have shown it in the recent past, so he is in good hands.
Drysdale Will Need Time to Develop
It would be ignorant to expect Drysdale to immediately be an elite defender. Not only is it likely that he gets some inconsistent ice time to start out, but he needs time to get used to the transition from Anaheim’s system to that of Philadelphia. He has a lot to learn, and he’s still just 21. As the saying goes, “Patience, young grasshopper”.
Many defensemen take years to develop, and that’s especially the case for a player who has missed as much time as Drysdale has. He essentially played a full season in 2021-22, scoring 32 points, but has only appeared in 18 contests since then.
If he were to enter the Flyers’ lineup, Drysdale would be the youngest player on the team and the youngest blueliner by over two years. His teammate Cam York was his age back in the 2021-22 season and has become a steady top-four defender since then, even after not making the Flyers’ roster to start 2022-23 — it took until December of that season for him to get a shot.
Turning raw talent into gold isn’t a seamless process. Drysdale has 123 games of NHL experience, but a lot of that is undone since he is on a completely different team that has different philosophies and strengths, and plays a different way. In the end, the transition should be valuable for him, but he can’t be expected to be elite instantly. That’s simply not a fair ask.
Offensive Upside Should Give Flyers Hope
There’s a reason why Drysdale was thought of so highly when he was drafted — he is one of the most gifted young offensive talents in the NHL. If he can get on the ice consistently, he has the edgework, end-to-end speed, hockey IQ, and offensive skill to flourish in today’s league. Not only does that give him the potential to be a top-four defender for years to come, but he could be even better than just that. It might be some time before that happens, but the future is bright for the youngster.
The Flyers had a particular need for a high-upside offensive defenseman on their roster and in their pipeline already. Their power play has been the worst in the NHL, so they could see some definite improvements right away when he slots into the lineup. Furthermore, Philadelphia needed another elite skater such as him — the team would be made all the more dynamic because of it.
The Flyers haven’t had a defenseman with as much pure skill as Drysdale in a while, so it is immensely valuable that they were able to get a player of his caliber on the roster. He has three seasons left on his annual cap hit of $2.3 million, so there is some security in that regard. He has the potential to be great, and there was arguably no better team to maximize that than the Orange and Black.
