Flyers’ Denver Barkey leaves preseason game with lower-body injury

Philadelphia Flyers forward Denver Barkey left Monday’s preseason game against the Washington Capitals and did not return after sustaining a lower-body injury.

Barkey, 21, took the opening shift of the second period in Monday’s game before heading down the tunnel towards the Flyers’ dressing room. According to Philadelphia Inquirer beat reporter Jackie Spiegel, Barkey “looked uncomfortable” on the bench after his abbreviated shift to start the second period; he previously “came up slow” after taking a hard hit from Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary late in the first.

During the third period, the Flyers officially announced that Barkey would not return to the game, which they ultimately lost by a 5-2 score.

A third-round pick (No. 95 overall) of the Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft, Barkey turned pro in the 2025-26 season, which he split between Philadelphia and the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 5’10” center/left wing collected five goals and 17 points in his first 43 NHL games with the Flyers during the regular season and added a goal and an assist in 10 playoff contests; he also racked up seven goals and 16 points in 26 AHL games with Lehigh Valley.

Before joining the Flyers, Barkey starred with the OHL’s London Knights over four full seasons, helping the team win two league championship and the 2025 Memorial Cup. The Newmarket, Ont. product amassed 89 goals and 258 points in 228 games during his junior career, adding 27 goals and 73 points in 53 playoff contests.

Barkey is slated to burn the second year of his entry-level contract with the Flyers in 2026-27. Given his increased prominence in the team’s lineup over the second half of the 2025-26 season, as well as during their appearance in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Barkey is a safe bet to make the Flyers out of their 2026 training camp — health permitting, of course.