Danny Briere Talks Barkey Recall & Flyers Injuries

Ahead of Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere spoke with the media. He addressed the recent call-ups and current team injuries. Let’s start with the injuries.

To start, Christian Dvorak was unavailable to the Flyers due to a lower-body injury. Briere said that it’s nothing major and that they expect him back on Monday vs. Vancouver. Dan Vladar was expected to get the start between the pipes on Saturday, but he, too, was out against the Rangers. Vladar was absent due to an upper-body injury. The Flyers’ general manager said that they are hopeful that the team’s top netminder will return on Monday.

Even with the roster freeze, they were able to call up Aleksei Kolosov on an emergency recall, so the team had two healthy goalies. Kolosov made it to New York in time for the game.

Now, for the big call-up. In a surprising move, the Flyers called up forward Denver Barkey to fill out the final spot on the 23-man roster. Barkey did not disappoint in his NHL debut, showing just why the Flyers gave the 20-year-old the call.

However, Barkey getting the call ahead of Alex Bump was a bit surprising.

Here is what Briere had to say.

Read More: Flyers Grades: Denver Barkey Stands Out in NHL Debut, Team Blows Late-Game Lead

Briere talks about calling up Barkey, & why specifically him

“I think that the biggest thing from the report is this consistency. He was good night after night. And it’s earned to get a look,” said Briere.

Briere recognized that the line of Barkey, Lane Pederson, and Alex Bump has been playing very well in Lehigh, and gives Bump some recognition as well. “It could have been one of those two guys [Bump and Pederson], but we decided to go with Barkey.”

As for who Barkey is replacing on the roster, Briere talked a bit about Tyson Foerster and what to expect.

After the initial two-to-three-month timeline was given, Briere said he went through more in-depth examinations and talked to some more people. From there, Briere said, “It was decided that, at the moment, the best thing was to take care of it.“

As for the new five-month timeframe, the Flyers’ GM says it’s just an estimate. “[5 months is] an approximation. We don’t know exactly. It could be a little less, could be a little bit more. You know, [5 months] is the range.”

The expectation is that Foerster will not return this season. Philadelphia will know more about the timeframe as Foerster’s rehab progresses.

Read More: PhHN Daily: Flyers Rookie Recalled; Late-Night Trades