Jamie Drysdale will make more money on his new deal, than Travis Sanheim. One main reason for such is he was better in his contract year than Sanheim was in his contract season.
Current Contracts
- Travis Sanheim: Signed an 8-year, $50M extension in 2022 with a $6.25M AAV. This runs through 2030-31, and it’s a team friendly deal.
- Jamie Drysdale: Just signed a 4-year extension at $6.5M AAV (announced around July 17, 2026). It starts in 2026-27 and runs through 2029-30. His previous deal was a 3-year, $2.3M AAV bridge contract that ended after 2025-26.
Drysdale’s new cap hit is slightly higher than Sanheim’s. it’s on a “similar scale” to Sanheim’s deal and represents good value for a young top 4 Defenseman.
Contract Year Performance:
Drysdale did have a strong contract year, showing clear improvement:
- Career-high 8 goals and matched a previous high of 32 points.
- Handled 20+ minutes per night as a more well-rounded middle-pairing D.
- Took a “substantial leap” this past season.
Sanheim Contract Year
He performed well enough to earn an 8-year, $50M extension (AAV $6.25M) signed in October 2022.
2021-22 Regular Season Stats (Contract Year)
- Games Played (GP): 80
- Goals (G): 7
- Assists (A): 24
- Points (PTS): 31
- Plus/Minus (+/-): +9
- TOI/GP: ~22:58
- Shots: 123
- PIM: 34
Sanheim remained a steady top-pairing defenseman at times, but was a bit more inconsistent, as well. In the end, Both he and Drysdale are key parts of the Flyers’ blueline alongside players like Cam York.
Drysdale’s raise reflects his age (24, with more upside) and that strong 2025-26 showing, while Sanheim’s longer-term deal (signed earlier at age 26) is locked in at a very team-friendly number under today’s higher salary cap. Both deals are viewed as solid value for Philadelphia.
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