Denver Barkey Injury Update: Flyers Forward Trending Towards Return

After two lower-body injuries in quick succession during the preseason, Philadelphia Flyers forward Denver Barkey is finally on the mend and trending towards a return on the team's upcoming three-game road trip.

Barkey, 21, first suffered a lower-body injury during the preseason against the Washington Capitals, and after missing a few days, returned to practice. While getting in a session wearing a no-contact jersey, Barkey tweaked his injury again, restarting the timer and putting him back on the shelf.

The young Flyers forward had been skating wearing the yellow no-contact jersey in recent days, but on Sunday afternoon's practice, Barkey traded in the yellow sweater for a regular orange one, signaling the next step in his recovery and road back to the lineup.

After Sunday's practice, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged that Barkey could be an option for the road trip ahead, which starts on Monday night against Tampa Bay.

"Yeah, I think he'd be an option," Tocchet said of Barkey. "Like, I don't know if it's next game or whatever, but I think he's coming in a situation where he's an option."

With Barkey starting the season on injured reserve, the Flyers allocated the roster spot created by that designation to veteran enforcer Garrett Wilson, who signed a one-year contract with the Flyers last week, making him an available to dress and play for the NHL club if and when needed.

Carl Grundstrom, who cleared waivers at the end of training camp, went unclaimed and has remained with the team, bouncing up and down the lineup as a complementary checking winger.

It is currently too early to tell which player comes out of the lineup, and what roster moves are made, to activate Barkey and get him back on the ice, though the Flyers have flexibility when the time comes.

Barkey scored five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points in 43 regular season games for the Flyers last year in his first season of professional hockey, averaging 13:24 for the eventual playoff team.