On Oct. 4, 2008, Zach Boychuk celebrated his 19th birthday in Raleigh by signing his three-year, entry-level contract with the Canes. Talk about a big day.

Boychuk was the Canes' first-round draft pick in 2008. Despite hand surgery, he came to training camp, soon was cleared for contact and made his NHL debut, appearing in two early regular-season games for Carolina on a West Coast trip before sent back to the Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL).

Boychuk's future seemed bright. He had speed, a quick release on his shot and an appealing personality, and it seemed only a matter of time before he was back with the Canes to stay.

Three years later, Boychuk's future with Carolina is more clouded as he enters the final year of that contract.

Where's Zach?

Some Canes fans were asking that last week when the players' informal workouts began in Raleigh. Some fans assumed Boychuk might be one of the first to arrive given that the forward said a late arrival last year may have hurt his chances of making the Canes' roster out of training camp.

Had it not been for a wedding, Boychuk might have been here a little sooner this year. No, not his wedding. But it was his best friend's wedding last weekend near Boychuk's hometown of Airdrie, Alb.

"I'm glad I'm able to come here earlier than I did last year," Boychuk said today after his first skate at Raleigh Center Ice. "Last year I got here maybe five or six days before (training camp) and it just wasn't enough time. So this year I decided to come out early and get ready."

When the Charlotte Checkers open the AHL Eastern Conference finals Thursday at home, it represents the deepest a Carolina Hurricanes farm team has gone in the playoffs since 1997, when the Springfield Falcons made it to this point in the AHL playoffs.

The Falcons -- coached by Kevin McCarthy -- lost to the Hershey Bears, who went on to win the Calder Cup. Three times since, the Hurricanes’ minor-league affiliate has won one playoff round, but this year’s Checkers are the first to win two.

The Carolina Hurricanes reassigned forward Jon Matsumoto to the team's AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday.

Matsumoto had been called up on Jan. 7 and played in the Canes last two games.

With forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jiri Tlusty and most recently Ryan Carter out with injuries, Matsumoto followed Charlotte teammates Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe in being called up to the Hurricanes.

Forward Jussi Jokinen (lower-body injury) and defenseman Joni Pitkanen (upper-body) will not play Monday against the Florida Panthers, Canes coach Paul Maurice said today.

Maurice said Jokinen and Pitkanen, who have missed the last two games, may accompany the Canes on the two-game road trip his week to New York and Florida and possibly could play. They're being listed as day-to-day.

"They're both getting better," Maurice said. "If it was in the playoffs we'd probably have them in the lineup right now. But so that we don't set anything back we're going to do everything we can to heal them to 100 percent."

Troy Bodie and Ryan Carter knew this day, this game, this opponent, was coming.

"I've had this date marked on my calendar," Bodie said.

Until last month, Bodie and Carter played for the Anaheim Ducks, and Carter was part of their Stanley Cup run in 2007. But that all changed when Bodie was put on waivers by Anaheim and claimed by the Canes, and Carter then was traded to Carolina.

Tonight, the Ducks will be the guys in the other sweaters trying to beat the Canes at the RBC Center. Friends and former teammates but ...

"But now it's all business," a smiling Bodie said after today's morning skate at the RecZone. "I had a good chat with a couple of them yesterday but now they're the enemy."

Forward Zach Boychuk will be recalled from the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) to replace Jiri Tlusty, who may miss a week or two after suffering an upper-body injury Thursday night in Atlanta.

Boychuk, the Canes' first-round draft pick in 2008, has been among the AHL leaders in points this season.

Boychuk hoped to win a roster spot out of training camp but admittedly did not play as well as he wanted in camp or preseason games and was assigned to the Checkers. He played 31 games with the Canes last season, scoring three goals and adding nine assists.

Tlusty was crunched into the wall late in the first period of the Canes' 3-2 shootout win over the Thrashers and injured his left arm. Ben Eager received a charging penalty for the hit.

Canes coach Paul Maurice called the injury "unfortunate," saying Tlusty has had a few while his play was on the upswing.

Defenseman Jay Harrison, out the last two games with an upper-body injury, may be able to return tomorrow for the Anaheim game, Maurice said. Bryan Rodney was recalled from the Checkers and played the last two games.

CHARLOTTE — Zach Boychuk expected to be playing and contributing for the Hurricanes this season, not filling a line with the Checkers and being called one of the top prospects in the AHL.

The forward worked out this summer with defensemen Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks in Western Canada. He lifted weights, skated, got in all his conditioning work and then headed to Raleigh for training camp.

A little too late, as it turned out. "I should have come earlier," Boychuk said.

The Canes reduced their training camp roster to 25 today, reassigning forward Zach Boychuk to the Charlotte Checkers (AHL).

Canes coach Paul Maurice said today that he misspoke in saying Carolina is allowed to take 25 players to Europe for the exhibition game in St. Petersburg, Russia, and then the NHL Premiere in Helsinki. The Canes are allowed 24 players, including three goaltenders, for the trip.

Maurice said today that it appeared doubtful forward Sergei Samsonov would be able to make the trip. Samsonov suffered a sprained neck Saturday in the preseason game in Atlanta and still is being treated for soreness in his neck and back, and being evaluated for concussion-like symptoms.

The Canes' so-called "Big & Tall" line -- Chad LaRose, Pat Dwyer and Zach Boychuk -- is no more.

Now it's the "Big & Staal" line. Tonight against the Caps, Eric Staal will be centering LaRose and Boychuk, both 5-10 and high-energy guys.

Boychuk, 20, has been used on the fourth and third lines, and has three goals and five assists and is plus-3 in his 22 games with the big club. But the top line? That's something new and exciting.