With NHL training camps expecting to get underway in the near future and the postponement of their two games this weekend, Sodertalje of the Allsvenskan in Sweden announced that defenseman Evan Bouchard (Oilers) and goaltender Filip Gustavsson (Senators) have been recalled by their respective NHL clubs, ending their loan agreements.
Bouchard, the tenth-overall pick back in 2018, has shown offensive promise wherever he has played and that carried over to his time in Sweden as he posted six goals and 11 assists in 23 games. That production was enough to put him second among defensemen and in the top-20 league-wide. As things stand, he may be on the outside looking in at a regular spot with Edmonton but if there are expanded rosters and/or a taxi squad to start the season, he should at least wind up there.
Gustavsson, meanwhile, has been one of the better starters in the Allsvenskan this season, posting an 11-7-0 record with a 2.30 GAA, a .919 SV%, and one shutout in 19 appearances. After a bit of a tough year in the minors with AHL Belleville, this should certainly give him a boost heading into training camp. Even with Anders Nilsson’s situation uncertain due to his concussion-like symptoms, Gustavsson will enter Ottawa’s camp battling for number three duties behind Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg with the winner of that competition (which should also involve Joey Daccord) also earning a spot on the expanded roster or taxi squad.