Drysdale wasn't taken 6th by accident, he has a lot of talent, but injuries have stunted his development.
Shaw is the perfect coach for him, b/c he needs to master defensive fundamentals.
But the key will be whether he can stay healthy, add some strength while maintaining his elite speed.
At the time of the trade:
Wheeler: I do wonder if the Flyers start to look a little small. Matvei Michkov,
Bobby Brink,
Travis Konecny,
Morgan Frost up front. Drysdale and
Cam York, two like-minded and built players on the backend (though Drysdale’s skating is certainly a cut above York’s, which can help compensate when you’re in that 5-foot-11/6-feet range). Even a cut below that with names like Emil Andrae and Denver Barkey. Suddenly, there are a lot of littler guys (relatively speaking) either established in that group or coming, especially with
Sean Couturier on the wrong side of 30. Gauthier and
Tyson Foerster were set to give them a bit of a different dimension.
Drysdale can certainly help in the short, medium and long term though. With his mobility and head for the game, he’s going to be an impact guy if he can stay healthy. Make good on that second-rounder and there’s an outcome in which Flyers fans feel good about this all things considered, even if Gauthier becomes an important piece with the Ducks.