Flyers make surprising recall ahead of roster freeze

After learning of Tyson Foerster's season-ending surgery, the Flyers had some decisions to make. They could ride with the players they had and possibly make a depth call-up. Or they could turn to one of their top prospects and give them a chance.

They went with the latter, but not with the player most fans expected.

Denver Barkey has certainly earned this recall. He's a hard-working player who has energy for days and won't give up on a play. And he's backed it up with some solid offense in his first professional season. He is fourth on the Phantoms in goals (7) and points (16), which is very effective for a rookie.

As players make the jump from the junior ranks to the professional league, there's always a question about whether their offense will follow. Players who score heaps of points in juniors don't always find the same success at the next However, el. But early on, Bar already demonstrates that he can do so.

The offense has cooled off a bit as Barkey has just three points in his last eight games and hasn't scored in the same amount. Getting the call-up over the expected Alex Bump shows the Flyers are pleased with his work ethic and are ready to give him a chance.

Flyers need to put Denver Barkey in a place to succeed

Putting Barkey on the roster guarantees that he will remain with the organization through the roster freeze, which goes into effect at midnight and extends through Dec. 28. The Flyers will have three games in the next four days before the holiday break.

By calling up Barkey, the Flyers are also indicating that he will get playing time during this recall. It would make no sense to bring up one of your top prospects if there was no chance of putting him in the lineup. If that was the case, it would've made more sense to bring in someone like Anthony Richard, who has played with Philadelphia before.

In terms of where Barkey could line up, it might make sense to insert him on the fourth line to start. It would bring some youth and energy to a line that desperately needs a shakeup of some kind. Maybe the Flyers will finally sit Garnet Hathaway down for a game or two. He is an easy candidate for a player who needs to take a break. Nicolas Deslauriers is also a common-sense player to take out of the lineup.

It's a nice reward for a player who has performed well at the AHL level. And if Barkey gets in and plays well over the next stretch of games, he could make it a hard decision to send him back to the Phantoms. The Flyers haven't shied away from bringing up the unexpected player and getting strong results. They found out the same with Ty Murchison.

It's an exciting moment for both Barkey and the Flyers. And it's certainly one for the fanbase as well.