Earn Your Time: How the Flyers Rookies Stuck Around This Season

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Megan DeRuchie @megd26_ on X

The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2025-26 season was filled with youth. Some of it was expected, others, not so much.

Denver Barkey was called up to the Flyers following the injury to Tyson Foerster in December. Alex Bump was called up following the trade of Bobby Brink at the trade deadline. Of course, Porter Martone joined the Flyers in late March following the conclusion of his NCAA career.

Each player, age 22 or younger, was in their first full season in the Flyers organization. Speaking from my own thought, Bump was the only one that I personally expected to be with the Flyers at some point this season.

Each player was called up in a different circumstance. However, each player was the same in one very important aspect: they gave the Flyers reason to keep them in the lineup. Not only that, but they were not fazed by the bright lights of playoff hockey. Each player picked up their first-career NHL playoff goal, and played big roles during the playoff run for Philadelphia.

It’s because of moments like those that it gets hard to remember how they got to the Flyers this season. Rather, it’s their impact that is remembered at the conclusion of the year.

“I almost kind of forget about these, these little moments, because we get in the playoffs, and those guys played such a big role,” said Flyers GM Danny Briere. “You know, they just made it, and they hung around, and their play kind of dictated the fact that they stayed around and played more.”

So, what are those moments? Well, the original plan for each player was a minimal role.

“I called Denver Barkey, and I told him, ‘You’re just going to be here for the weekend.’ I think we had a couple of games, and then you’re going to go back, and we plan on playing you in this game in Lehigh,” said Briere.

Barkey, who turned 21 during the playoffs, did not give the team a reason to send him back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL.

“He had the big game in New York, and then we had a couple injuries, and we said, ‘Well, you’re gonna stick around for another week.’ Then you know, we were going to send him back for the Olympic break. Then he played so well, he had earned it. Next thing, you know, Denver never returned, so I’m sure the guys in Lehigh were not too happy with me.”

Alex Bump, 22, was the same story. Once given a chance, the coaching staff did not want to see him go.

“We called Bump up, and we wanted to give him a game, but then he played so well. The coaches wanted him back in the lineup. There was a game I was going to send him back, and Tocchet said, ‘No, I want to use him tomorrow in the game, can you keep him here for one more day?’ He ended up scoring and stayed for the rest of the way.”

Porter Martone, 19, signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers in late March after his title run with Michigan State fell short. As he once described it, Martone jumped onto a “moving train.”

The Flyers pondered whether it was fair to just gift the unproven 19-year-old ice time when he had just shown up. Other players had helped the Flyers be in that playoff push and had earned the time. Next thing the Flyers knew, their 19-year-old phenom had arrived.

“At first, with Martone, we weren’t even sure. You know, we’re in a playoff hunt, like, is it fair to play him? Is it fair to put him in that position with our guys who are fighting for a spot?” Brere said. “Next thing you know, he’s had such a big impact.”

The trio of Flyers rookies impressed in their first bit of time with the team. That kept them around longer than anyone had expected. It also helped them get an NHL playoff experience that you cannot buy for a player’s development.

“It’s not like it was planned that way,” said Briere. “But to have them experience that and have such a big role, that’s what makes things so exciting. You can’t buy that experience for those guys. Next year, coming back, they know what it’s like to play in the playoffs, and they’ll know what to expect. They’ll know how tight the game is, how hard the game gets in the playoffs. So it’s a huge plus to have had the chance to give them those games.”

What may have been intended as temporary call-ups resulted in invaluable playoff experience for three important players in the Flyers’ future. Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, and Porter Martone earned the right to play big roles for the team during the Flyers’ playoff run.

Read More: Flyers GM Backs Michkov: Process, Future, & What’s Next

The post Earn Your Time: How the Flyers Rookies Stuck Around This Season appeared first on Philly Hockey Now.

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