One guy wasn’t expected to get the call up this early in the regular season. The other wasn’t even in the conversation until he arrived and Ryan Ellis and his contract went West. But at nearly the halfway point of the 2025-26 season, the Philadelphia Flyers are getting important contributions across the board. And two players have been recent bright spots: youngster Denver Barkey and journeyman Carl Grundstrom. Assuming both are in the lineup against Anaheim, Barkey will be playing his eighth game in the league. For Grundstrom, it will be game 307. Both play different styles, yet both have been putting in the work in helping Philadelphia stay among the top teams in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference
So with both players contributing, and both seemingly in head coach’s Rick Tocchet good books, is it possible that both players end up sticking with the big club the rest of the way? We’ll take a look at both based on their own merits, first looking at Barkey and then diving into Grundstrom.
Denver Barkey: so far so good
On Dec. 19, the Flyers called up Denver Barkey from Lehigh Valley. Barkey wasn’t a name that many had playing any games with Philadelphia this year unless the big club ran into an incredible rash of injuries. But just before Christmas, they put Barkey in the lineup. In his debut, he had two assists in over 15 minutes of ice time on a line with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett. In the next handful of games, Barkey didn’t score or register any points. What he did do was play a sound two-way game, being just as attentive in the defensive zone as it was in the offensive zone. He also avoided injury in a game against Chicago when he took some abuse and left the game early.
But on Saturday, Barkey scored his first goal. And it was incredibly impressive not just to onlookers but to Tocchet as well. Deftly stickhandling his way in front of Dan Vladar’s net, Barkey passed the puck up ice and then simply sprinted, beating his opponent who should’ve been paying attention and beating Calvin Pickard for the goal.
“I mean that play dictates the whole thing, right?” Tocchet said Monday regarding the goal. “He’s willing to play that 200-foot game to get that (goal). That’s the ultimate as a coach that you want to see. He not looking at just playing a half-ice game, he’s playing a full game. The one thing that impresses me — obviously his hockey IQ — Jonesy told me that when I took the job, ‘You’ll like this kid.’ And I remember watching the London Knights play in the finals, watching him and Bonk and those guys. I was like, ‘Man, look at this guy’s hockey IQ!’ But he’s not scared to go into a corner. He’s a small guy but he goes in reckless at times, like he doesn’t care.”
Barkey has three points in those seven games, but his play has seemed to light a spark in Sean Couturier’s play. As mentioned earlier, the line of Barkey, Couturier and Tippett have been one of the best lines of late in terms of expected goals, capturing almost three-quarters of the share (73.8 per cent) according to Moneypuck. But, again, it’s a very small sample size. The gauntlet that is the second half of this season is as condensed as the first half. And Tocchet knows the games get tougher with opponents hoping to stay in the chase or improve their seeding.
Another part of Barkey’s game Tocchet alluded to on Monday was his competitive streak, almost inversely proportionate to his physical stature. The coach agreed with a reporter’s suggestion that Barkey had some similarities to Vancouver forward Conor Garland, a player Tocchet coached last season before parting company with the Canucks.
“I think Denver has a chip on his shoulder,” Tocchet said. “Connor had a chip on his shoulder, that’s how he had to change his game as a pro and I see the same thing in Denver. I don’t see him going in saying, ‘Hey I’m a smaller guy, I’m a young guy.’ He’s a guy that knows, ‘Oh the puck’s there, it’s my job to try and win that battle.’ So he’s going to use different ways, he’s not going to go in there and start crashing and banging, but he uses his brain and body position.”
So while Tocchet is rather quick to praise Barkey’s game, he’s not guaranteeing him the roughly 40 games left in the schedule. He said discussions with Flyers general manager Danny Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones will take place to figure out if Barkey is here for the long haul or not. Off-ice logistics is something Tocchet is also aware of, not wanting the forward to be kept swaying in the wind in terms of knowing whether or not he’s here the rest of the season.
One huge bonus for Barkey might come in February when he could see the Olympic break serve as a kind of mini-vacation. Of course, that might not happen if the Flyers sent Barkey back down to Lehigh Valley to get some action in during the three-week siesta between Philadelphia games. But it could be enough of a reprieve to get him over the hump in terms of the remaining schedule. Perhaps the biggest issue is whether two or three weeks from now if Barkey still has Tocchet’s trust and hasn’t seen a dip in his game. If he maintains this level of play, it would be difficult for the coach and front office to rationalize him being sent back down. So, it’s probably greater than 50/50 that he is here for the rest of the season.
What about Carl Grundstrom? We say yes!
Meanwhile, Grundstrom came to Philadelphia with little to no expectations. The fourth line to start the season was set, and Grundstrom went to Lehigh Valley. He played 19 games there, and put up 15 points. At the same time, the Flyers’ fourth line was a disaster as Rodrigo Abols had a goal but both Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers were (and are) still looking for their first point of 2025-26. Grundstrom was called up for one game in November against Ottawa but was sent back down afterwards. On Dec. 2 he was called up again and has stuck since then. In 13 games he’s had eight points, including a rather remarkable seven goals. It’s given the fourth line a bit more offensive bite while the forward has been probably exceeding even the highest expectations the team may have had for the journeyman.
So far, in the amount of time he’s been given, Grundstrom has been the best of the lot vying for time on the bottom line. Abols is unlikely to lose his slot given how shallow Philadelphia is at center, and Nikita Grebenkin hasn’t really been lighting the lamp in the games that he’s suited up for. That essentially leaves both Hathaway and Deslauriers, both of who were scratched recently. Deslauriers is basically going to get between 10 to 15 games the rest of the way it would seem barring injuries while Hathaway might get another long look after a stint sitting and watching.
It’s not a stretch to suggest Grundstrom’s contributions have significantly helped Philadelphia just from a usage standpoint. For the first two months of the season, the fourth line wasn’t doing anything. However, with at least one guy who can possibly score from time to time allows Tocchet to lengthen the bench a bit more, giving the line a few extra shifts and minutes a game. That might not seem like a lot in the short run, but those extra minutes eaten up should help lighten the load the first three lines will have in the second half. Nobody’s suggesting the fourth line will score a combined 25 to 30 goals between them. But if Grundstrom can get anywhere from 12 to 15 goals, that’s a small victory and bonus from the Ellis deal.
The bigger picture will determine what happens with Grundstrom the rest of the way. If the Flyers fall in the standings and have a lot of catching up to do at the deadline, it’s incumbent on Briere to kick the tires to see if anyone is interested in acquiring him for a mid-round pick or younger prospect. But if they’re still in the hunt, and Grundstrom doesn’t look like a clone of Hathaway or Deslauriers, then he should see himself hitting between 50 to 55 games for Philadelphia this season.
