I think Drysdale has very good skating...and that's it. His shot is ok, his compete is ok, but he's small and he is low in the hockey IQ department, which explains why Verbeek was fine trading him. He just doesn't seem to be in the right places or make the right plays.
I think you're overspeculating the reason for Drysdale being traded with the knowledge of how Drysdale's been playing in Philly.
Here is Drysdale's MyNHLdraft page full of scouting report snippets from several scouts/media outlets:
Jamie Drysdale scouting report for NHL Draft. Profile contains Jamie Drysdale stats, videos and written bios
www.mynhldraft.com
What I liked about Drysdale during the draft process was videos of him taking defensive lessons outside of his OHL team. At least he was dedicated to go above and beyond to improving his craft.
Drysdale earned AHL rookie of the month as an 18-year old (over Zegras!) and promptly got promoted to the NHL level in the shortened COVID season. The jump to the NHL was steep defensively, but not offensively for Drysdale's full rookie season: 81 NHL games, 32 pts, and a -26 rating as RD1. His next two seasons have been marred with injuries, deterring growth on the ice.
- 2021-22, Anaheim: 81 NHL games, 32 pts, and -26 rating (Rookie season)
- 2022-23, Anaheim: 8 NHL games, 0 pts, and -3 rating
- 2023-24, Anahiem: 10 NHL games, 5 pts, and -2 rating
- 2023-24, Philly: 24 NHL games, 5 pts, and -18 rating
Last season, we can see a stark difference in production between Anaheim and Philly. The offense popped Drysdale in Anaheim, but became muted in Philly. Drysdale has to unlearn man defense from Anaheim and learn zone defense under Torts. Torts wasn't lying about Drysdale has a lot to learn for zone defense.
I hope for the best for Drysdale.