Thursday, January 31, 2013
Canes' gamble re: Boychuk
By Victoria Matiash
UPDATE: Unsurprisingly,the risk didn't pay off for the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Pittsburgh Penguins claimed Zach Boychuk off waivers.
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After placing the former first-round draft pick (2008) on waivers, the Carolina Hurricanes stand a reasonable chance of losing Zach Boychuk Thursday.
As discussed by Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, another NHL team could have a keen interest in the winger.
"There’s that risk, but it doesn’t do him any good not playing here,” general manager Jim Rutherford said. “We have Drayson (Bowman) and Zac (Dalpe) in the top nine (forwards). It’s hard to have three first-year guys like that in the top nine. For Zach Boychuk to be sitting around will not do him any good, so we’ll see where it goes."
The Hurricanes hope Boychuk clears so he can be re-assigned to the AHL Charlotte Checkers. After launching the NHL season on the top line with Eric Staal and Alexander Semin, the 23-year-old has been a healthy scratch since.
