The Checkers got the big boost they were looking for as both Zach Boychuk and Michal Jordan cleared waivers at noon Thursday.
With other teams taking a pass on acquiring the services of either player and keeping them in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes were able to assign the longtime Checkers back to Charlotte immediately following their clearance. They will be eligible to play in Friday’s game in Grand Rapids, the second of a four-game road trip.
In Boychuk, the Checkers receive the AHL’s reigning goal-scoring champion (36 last season), a significant addition to an offense that ranks 28th in the league with an average of 2.26 per contest. He also led the league in power-play goals with 18 one season ago, something the 30th-ranked Checkers (9.1 percent) will be well aware of. Boychuk is only two goals away from tying Chris Terry for the franchise’s all-time lead (104).
In Jordan, the Checkers receive their captain and an important all-around contributor and minutes eater on defense who can also provide some offense (seven points in 15 AHL games this season) and help balance out a unit that has seen some less experienced players thrust into larger roles due to a run of recent injuries and recalls.
Boychuk and Jordan, two of just five players who have appeared in at least one Checkers game over all five of the club’s AHL seasons along with Rasmus Rissanen, Jared Staal and Terry, rank in the top five in terms of all-time games played. Jordan is second to Terry with 267, while Boychuk ranks fifth at 242.
The return of both players should finally give the Checkers, who were not able to dress a healthy extra at any position in each of their last four games, some flexibility with their lineup. With center Brody Sutter thought to be nearing a return from injury, the team could have as many as three players who have played in the NHL this season returning Friday.
