The Flyers have a few games before the Christmas break, but in the meantime they might be getting some assistance from Lehigh Valley. The club is recalling winger Denver Barkey from the Phantoms and made the news official Friday evening.
Transactions: We have recalled forward Denver Barkey from the @LVPhantoms (AHL).
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 19, 2025
Additionally, defenseman Egor Zamula has cleared waivers and has been loaned to Lehigh Valley.
There’s no word if the callup is to replace a winger or forward who is banged up. The most logical reason could be to address the dearth of production on the fourth line. Barkey would certainly bring some offensive prowess to the bottom trio of forwards. Thus far Garnet Hathaway has no points through 33 and is the only player in the NHL to not record a point in that many games. As well, Nic Deslauriers also is looking for his first point of the season. The only bright spot in what has been an extremely dim fourth line is Rodrigo Abols, who has a goal and an assist thus far.
Where might Barkey fit in?
The addition of Barkey could possibly increase the production while rewarding the forward for his solid play thus far. As well, it might give him a little more playing time before the Christmas holidays. The Phantoms round out their pre-Christmas schedule Saturday against Hartford and don’t play again until Dec. 27 when the Phantoms host Charlotte. Should Barkey end up in the Flyers lineup Saturday afternoon against the Rangers, he might also get some minutes against the Penguins on Monday night before the Flyers visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night before the break. As well, with the power play regressing as much as it’s been in recent games, head coach Rick Tocchet might have the moxie to see if Barkey is capable of possibly helping on one of the two units. That might be a long shot, but few could’ve envisioned the young forward being called up this soon into the season.
Barkey, selected in the third round (95th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, has had a strong rookie season in the American Hockey League. Through 26 games, Barkey has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points thus far. He’s had a four-point game (one goal, three assists) last month against Bridgeport and had his first multi-goal game on Nov. 16 in a 7-3 Phantoms win over Springfield.
As well, with news that Egor Zamula cleared waivers, the Flyers have loaned him to the Phantoms. The demotion might not result in a lot of playing time as the Phantoms have a boatload or glut of blueliners who are all trying to get a finite amount of ice time. Whether Zamula sees a lot of action or not remains to be sees. But it’s probably not a huge priority of the Flyers to ensure he gets minutes, especially with younger prospects in the pipeline the organization wants to develop.
