On the other, that goal has never been closer to reality for both players.
Coming off career seasons at the AHL level with Charlotte, Boychuk and Terry, who are each entering their sixth professional seasons, will get every chance to make the big club. Contrary to previous seasons, the Hurricanes did not enter the free agent market to find more experienced players with similar skill sets, nor did they add veteran tryouts at the last minute prior to training camp.
On a team that, health permitting, will have space for two new forwards, they have to be considered the two favorites.
“There are obviously spots available and there are lots of guys that are vying for them,” said Boychuk, the reigning Willie Marshall Award winner as the AHL’s top goal scorer with 36 last season. “The competition is getting stiffer every day. There’s a lot of work to be done and hopefully I have a good camp.”
That each player seemed to take steps forward last season – Boychuk’s 74 points in 69 games and Terry’s 69 in 70 were the two highest single-season totals in the Checkers’ four seasons of AHL existence – certainly helps their momentum, as does their successful yet brief NHL stints spread out across the course of the campaign. Even if one was to find himself outside of the opening-night roster, it might make more sense to keep that player around rather than send him through waivers, something a younger rival like Brock McGinn or Victor Rask would not require.
Adding up all of the circumstances, it’s easy to see why Checkers head coach Jeff Daniels is prepared to enter the AHL season without the top two scorers in team history, at least to start. Anything could change after that, as players in that situation don’t really make the team until a season goes by where they aren’t asked to play anywhere else.
It’s something both players are mindful of as camp continues and the exhibition slate heats up. With new coaches and management in place, it’s less about previous impressions and previous seasons and more about what’s happening right now.
“Everyone’s got a clean slate and everyone knew that from day one,” said Terry. “Come in, show your stuff and let the chips fall where they may.”
“It’s great for everybody in this room to have a clean slate, a new voice and a new leader to follow,” said Boychuk, who has now attended Hurricanes camp under four different head coaches. “It’s kind of a new era with a new GM and a new coach. It’s exciting for everybody, especially for me.”
Boychuk and Terry are in different camp groups, meaning that they will take turns playing exhibition games for the time being. In the first game of the preseason at PNC Arena on Sunday, Terry, playing on a line with fellow NHL hopefuls Ben Holmstrom and Phil Di Giuseppe, shook off some early rust also shown by nearly every other player on the ice to score a third-period, power-play goal that got the Hurricanes within one in the 4-3 loss to Columbus.
“Obviously in the first game the first period was a struggle, but it’s always like that,” said Terry. “I felt better as the game got along.”
Meanwhile, Boychuk is scheduled to play his first exhibition game at Buffalo on Tuesday night, where he’ll be filling in for Alexander Semin on a top scoring line with Jordan Staal and Jiri Tlusty. That’s only a small promotion for Boychuk, who had opened camp on the projected third unit alongside former Checkers teammate Riley Nash and Nathan Gerbe.Could something be read from the fact that Boychuk continually finds himself alongside established NHL players, while Terry has not? Head coach Bill Peters says no, but it’s at least worth noting.
“It’s great for the confidence just to be on one of the projected lines,” said Boychuk. “Coming into camp I’ve done everything I can over the summer to be ready for this and this is kind of my year to break out. Hopefully I do well in the preseason games and we’ll see what happens.”
If Boychuk and Terry are competing with each other for an NHL job, or at least a spot in the starting lineup, it’s something neither player has felt the need to discuss with his teammate of the last five seasons going back to the Hurricanes’ final year of affiliation with the Albany River Rats in 2009-10.
“We both know it, but it’s not the first year of it,” said Terry. “We’ve always played the same position and are similar players.”
“Obviously we know the situation where there are one or two open spots and we’re going to be going after those,” said Boychuk. “With injuries that happen in the preseason, maybe we both end up together or even on the same line. It’s definitely good competition to have.”
