Worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided.
One thing the Philadelphia Flyers hoped not to see in their shortened slate of preseason games was injury, but that was quickly added to their plate in their very first contest.
On Monday, Flyers forward Denver Barkey, who has been establishing himself as a middle-six forward and embracing a new role at the professional level as a center, was forced to leave the team's preseason game against the Washington Capitals with a lower-body injury.
Barkey, 21, appeared to have suffered an injury in a first-period collision with Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary, and while Barkey did initially return for the second period, his night came to an end after just one more shift.
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet was unable to provide an update on the injured Barkey in the immediate aftermath of Monday's game, though he had more to share after morning skate ahead of the team's second preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
"I think he's getting evaluated now, so, yeah, I say day-to-day," Tocchet said Tuesday morning.
"I don't think it's serious. I don't want to put myself out here and the next thing is he's out for four months. But it's not going to be four months. It's just day-to-day, trust me."
Barkey's injury creates more opportunities
In the wake of the injury Barkey suffered against Washington on Monday night, another player who played in that game, Cole Knuble, will be getting a second opportunity in as many nights to continue making his bid for a roster spot.
Knuble, Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, David Jiricek, Oliver Bonk, and Ty Murchison are among the notable prospects set to play against Boston in the second leg of the back-to-back.
As noted above, Barkey had been getting some burn as a center under the direction of Tocchet, and perhaps that opens up a legitimate possibility for Luchanko to make the NHL roster out of training camp for a third straight year.
Or, it could just define the Flyers' center depth that they already have: Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, and Sean Couturier.
By the time preseason game No. 3 rolls around on Thursday, we'll know a lot more about Barkey's injury and where all the adjacent pieces stand.
