Should Flyers keep Denver Barkey in the middle after he was their 'best player' in Game 1?

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Blake, 22, has a tenaciousness and feistiness about him, playing with the sort of chip on his shoulder that a former fourth-round pick usually needs to in order to succeed. But Stankoven, 23, may be the emerging star. Now in his fourth year in the NHL, he’s currently tied for the league lead in playoff goals with six — one in each of the four wins against Ottawa, and two more in Carolina’s dominant 3-0 win in Game 1 on Saturday. One Flyers player in particular should perhaps take note of Stankoven’s path. It was notable in the second period of Game 1 that Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, looking for something, anything to spark his club, moved 21-year-old Denver Barkey to the middle between Alex Bump and Matvei Michkov. It became even more notable after the game. When asked a question about altering his top three scoring lines in the second period, Tocchet said, “I actually don’t mind Barks in the middle, to be honest with you. I thought he was effective.” He later added, “I thought Barkey was our best player. He’s skating, he’s moving his feet. Hopefully we get a lot more guys doing that.” The Flyers’ primary roster concern, both for this series and long term, is at center. Trevor Zegras has gone cold lately, with Tocchet moving him back to the wing for the latter half of Game 1. Christian Dvorak, too, hasn’t done a whole lot since the midway point of the Penguins series, and may be a bit banged up. Sean Couturier has been among the Flyers’ most consistent players all playoffs, but Tocchet may not want to break up the fourth line, considering it was their most effective on Saturday. We’ll see if Barkey remains at center for Game 2 on Monday night in Raleigh. The Flyers had an optional skate on Sunday at Lenovo Center, with a few key players skipping it, including Dvorak. Line combinations likely won’t be known until warmups on Monday, including whether Owen Tippett will be healthy enough to dress. Regardless, Barkey potentially at center is a compelling proposition — which brings us back to Stankoven. If Barkey remains in the middle, either for this series or at some point down the line, Stankoven could be providing the blueprint on how to succeed. There are similarities. Primarily a winger when the Hurricanes acquired him from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen trade last season, the Hurricanes moved Stankoven back to the middle, where he skated in juniors, at the start of the season. That was never the Hurricanes’ plan, but it was born out of necessity for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. One risk was that Stankoven, while having some skill and tenacity, is listed at just 5-foot-8, 165 pounds. That’s nearly identical to Barkey’s 5-foot-10, 171-pound measurements. There’s more. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’amour has praised Stankoven’s preparation, confidence, work ethic and ability to adapt. Tocchet — who seemed to fall in love with Barkey from Day 1, when the rookie made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20 — has used similar adjectives about his own player. He acknowledged on Sunday that there could be parallels between Barkey and Stankoven. “Barkey had the characteristics last night of moving his feet and hounding the puck. That’s what Stankoven does,” Tocchet said. “This is (Stankoven’s fourth) year. (He has) tree trunk legs. And Barkey could eventually (have) bigger legs. But when it comes to moving your feet, and (being) a dog on a bone, and all that stuff, those guys are similar. So, yeah, that’s a pretty good comparison.” Barkey, too, was asked if Stankoven is a guy he could try to emulate. “Definitely. He’s a good player having a great start to (the) playoffs,” Barkey said. “Pretty similar stature to me. His shot stands out to me. He’s able to get pucks through and find lanes. Something I definitely want to work on this summer, become more of a shooting threat.” Those are likely to be Barkey’s two primary goals this offseason: develop his shot and his lower-body strength. Considering his makeup and maturity, it’s a good bet that both will improve. But he’s not going to get any taller. In order to make up for his lack of size, Barkey, who hasn’t played center full-time since he was 16, knows he has to be smart and tenacious in the defensive zone to succeed at that position. “You’re in the corners as a center, you’ve got to win a lot more battles, have good body positioning,” he said. “There’s big guys in the corners, too. I think that’s the biggest thing I try to take pride in when I’m at center, is getting in there and winning those battles, showing that I’m not going to get pushed around, extend box-outs in front of the net (and) make sure my guy is not getting to the net and tipping in a goal. “You’ve got to win those battles, win those draws, and get pucks out, because that’s what makes a center special.” Tocchet’s intrigue about whether Barkey could play center was initially revealed in the regular-season finale. In what was a meaningless game for the Flyers against the Montreal Canadiens on April 14, Tocchet plopped Barkey between Bump and Porter Martone, as the club rested most of its veterans. That game, and the latter half of Game 1 on Saturday, isn’t much of a sample size. But the Flyers’ coach has been pleased with the results so far. “You’ve got to look at (it as) if you’re stuck down low, can you muck it and grind it? Can you outmuscle these bigger centermen? … But I haven’t seen (Barkey struggle with) that,” Tocchet said. “I didn’t see him get hemmed (in). … You’ve also got to weigh the positives. “If we’re going to get the puck a lot more, if we’re going to make more plays in the middle of the ice, you might sacrifice a little defense.” That’s something the Flyers might have to do now. They’ve scored just five goals over their last four playoff games, and didn’t generate nearly enough in Game 1 against the Hurricanes. It might not be too early for the Flyers coach to take a few drastic measures. Perhaps moving Barkey to the middle can provide a much-needed jolt. “He’s like a Swiss Army knife,” said Martone, who played against Barkey for three seasons in the OHL. “You can throw him anywhere. Wing or center, he can play up and down the lineup. He thinks the game really well, which makes him be able to play the middle of the ice.” Spot the pattern. 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