The Trevor Zegras contract talk is going to be the talk of the summer in Philadelphia as we head towards the 2026 NHL Draft and free agency. However, Zegras isn’t the only pending restricted free agent that Philadelphia Flyers' General manager Daniel Briere has to worry about. In fact, Jamie Drysdale could be arguably more important to the organization than Zegras.
Drysdale completely changed his outlook this past year. The 24-year-old blue liner took major strides in his own zone, pairing that defensive growth with a career-high eight goals and 32 points in 78 regular-season games. When the games got tight, he elevated his play even further, logging heavy top-four minutes. It appears that he just needed a coach like Rick Tocchet to bring out the best in him. Now, that he has that, he will likely want to stay long-term.
The Flyers cannot afford to play this one safe
The biggest choice that Briere will need to make is whether he should go with a long-term contract or a bridge deal.
Ideally, the long-term deal is the best option. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has a line about young talent and locking them up long-term. His ideology is simple: it’s going to cost a team more if they opt for a bridge deal, so invest in your young talent. That is the case, with the Flyers and Drysdale. Briere needs to take the smarter route and sign him for six-to-seven years.
However, the safest option is a short-term bridge deal. It keeps the immediate cap hit low and forces Drysdale to prove he can string together back-to-back highly productive, healthy seasons. That said, eventually the Flyers need to stop playing it safe and start taking risks, and that could include signing Drysdale to a long-term contract this summer.
Especially if he continues to evolve into a premier top-pairing anchor who drives transition play, a long-term deal signed this summer will look like an absolute steal down the road. It would send a clear signal that Philadelphia is done waiting around and is ready to build on their playoff success from this season.
