Zach Boychuk scored in first game with Nashville, but that couldn’t earn him a permanent spot. (PHOTO: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports)

There’s an interesting wrinkle in all of this for Preds fans. If Nashville is able to reclaim Boychuk today, they can send him directly to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. This is because of a clause in the CBA that allows them to claim him without placing him on waivers again since they were the last team to let him go before Carolina waived him. What that means is that we could end up seeing Zach Boychuk in a Nashville Predators uniform again – just probably not before next season’s training camp.

It has to have been a frustrating ride for the 23-year-old, especially after being reclaimed by his old team and immediately placed back on waivers to be sent back to the AHL. Perhaps if things go well he can find a home within the Nashville Predators organization. Milwaukee isn’t just the Preds’ AHL affiliate; it’s also a training ground for playing the system coach Barry Trotz employs in the NHL. Since one of the things Trotz said about Boychuk was that there wasn’t enough “bite” in his game, a stint with the Admirals would give him ample opportunity to develop that bite – and subsequently an opportunity to make a home for himself with the Predators.

Of course, this all depends on the Preds successfully reclaiming him. That’s not a sure thing at this point, but there does appear to be will within the organization to do so.

Boychuk played five games with the Predators, notching one goal and one assist while averaging roughly 13:40 per night.

Zach Boychuk scored in first game with Nashville, but that couldn’t earn him a permanent spot. (PHOTO: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports)

This is the third time this season that Zach Boychuk has been on the waiver wire. The first time came early in the year when the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that originally drafted him, didn’t have room for him on their NHL roster and wanted to send him back to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins and played seven games with them before being placed on waivers a second time. That’s when Nashville grabbed him.

“I think Zach has a lot of ability, but we really just didn’t see enough bite in his game to go further right now,” Nashville head coach Barry Trotz told the Tennessean. “He is a project, but I think in time he could play in the league if he makes some of the right adjustments in his game.”

Trotz says there isn’t enough “bite” in Boychuk’s game, but the same could be said for basically everybody on the Nashville roster right now. In the end it looks like the team decided to stick with the players they know instead of giving the new kid a chance. There’s still a chance that Boychuk could end up remaining with the Nashville Predators organization. If nobody claims him he can be assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals. I’d like to see him stay with the organization because it didn’t feel like he really got a fair shake here. Either way, I wish him the best and hope he gets to play wherever he lands.