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Drake Caggiula

West Notes: DeBoer, Brown, Caggiula

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A coaching controversy is brewing in Dallas. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Dallas Stars players were displeased with Pete DeBoer’s coaching tactics during the Western Conference Final and his postgame remarks after Game 5.

Pagnotta correctly noted that DeBoer’s contract concludes after the 2025-26 NHL season, so it could be some time before they make a move on DeBoer’s future, assuming they turn their players’ feedback into actionable consequences. It seems that much of the frustration is stemming from DeBoer’s treatment of netminder Jake Oettinger, whom he unceremoniously pulled in Game 5 after allowing two goals on two shots.

DeBoer’s comments after the game did nothing to help. Chastising Oettinger to the media after being eliminated from the postseason, DeBoer said, “I didn’t blame it all on Jake, but the reality is if you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton. And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. … That’s a pretty big sample size.” Whether DeBoer is correct in his assessment of Oettinger, it was not a professional comment to make publicly, and the Stars players are responding in kind.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Edmonton Oilers will have one of their depth forwards back for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector passed along a note from Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, indicating Connor Brown will return on Wednesday. Brown missed the last two games of the Western Conference Final (and much of Game 3) after being hit in the head by Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic.
  • According to a team announcement, now-former Oiler forward Drake Caggiula has signed a one-year contract with the NL’s Lausanne HC. It’ll be the first time that Caggiula has played abroad in a professional setting. He spent much of the 2024-25 season with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, scoring 24 goals and 52 points in 62 games.

Drake Caggiula Likely To Sign In Sweden

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Oilers pending unrestricted free agent forward Drake Caggiula appears likely to head overseas for the first time in his career. He’s received strong interest from Swedish Hockey League clubs Brynäs IF and Djurgårdens IF ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, the latter of which just gained promotion from the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan (per Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson of Aftonbladet).

The 30-year-old Caggiula has spent the last two years primarily with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. It’s his second stint in the Oilers organization after beginning his professional career in Edmonton as an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2016. This season, the Ontario native led the Condors with 24 goals in 62 games and added 28 assists for 52 points. He also posted a +20 rating, the highest of his professional career.

Caggiula also saw brief NHL action for Edmonton, posting an assist in seven games over multiple call-ups early in the season. That marked his first NHL games in over a year and a half. He last appeared for the Penguins in March 2023.

A solid bottom-six scorer in Edmonton to begin his career, he hasn’t played more than 40 NHL games in a season since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and his chances of doing so again are slim given his age. It’s not entirely unsurprising to see a starring role in a top-flight European league look appealing to him compared to a more unstable minor-league lifestyle. The 5’10”, 179-lb forward has a 46-46–92 scoring line in 289 career NHL games with a -29 rating.

Oilers Reassign Drake Caggiula

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The Oilers announced early Wednesday that they reassigned left-winger Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield.

Caggiula, 30, had played in Edmonton’s last five games after being recalled for the second time this season in mid-November. The veteran depth piece did not record a point during that span and averaged 7:11 per game with a -1 rating, 5 PIMs, and four shots.

The former Oilers undrafted free agent signing out of North Dakota has an assist in seven NHL games this season between call-ups, his first in two years after spending all last season on assignment to Bakersfield. He’s in year two of his second stint in the Oilers organization after achieving journeyman status around the turn of the decade, recording stints with the Blackhawks, Coyotes, Sabres, and Penguins after spending the first two-and-a-half seasons of his professional career in Edmonton.

Caggiula has filled in for the past couple of weeks as wingers Viktor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman remain out with undisclosed injuries. Since they haven’t implicated him in paper transactions as of late, his demotion could be a sign that one or both could return tomorrow against the Blue Jackets, or that they plan on dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

A high-energy presence, Caggiula has continued performing as a legitimate offensive impact piece in the minors. He has five goals and nine points in 12 games for Bakersfield this season after recording 37 points in 43 games last year.

After clearing waivers at the beginning of the regular season, Caggiula is nearing the end of his temporary exemption. He can play three more games or remain on the active roster for nine more days until he needs waivers again to return to Bakersfield.

Oilers Recall Drake Caggiula

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As expected, Drake Caggiula’s stint in the minors was short-lived.  The team announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the veteran forward from AHL Bakersfield.

Edmonton re-assigned the 30-year-old back to the minors on Monday alongside defenseman Josh Brown (who notably wasn’t brought back up this time around).  With the Oilers off until Friday, the demotions allowed them to exit LTIR for a few days and bank a bit of cap space.  While Caggiula is on a contract for the league minimum of $775K, his remaining money is still more than the $382K they can afford per PuckPedia which means they’ll be back into using LTIR once the recall officially hits their books on Friday.

Caggiula has played in four games with Edmonton so far this season, all within the last four weeks.  He has one assist in those outings while averaging a little over eight minutes a night of playing time while also spending time in a reserve role.  He’s likely to still have a limited role on this stint with the Oilers as well.  While he was held off the scoresheet on Wednesday, Caggiula has been much more productive with the Condors, recording five goals and four helpers so far.

With the recall, Edmonton’s roster now stands at 22 players, one below the limit.  With them now back in LTIR, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that spot get filled in the near future.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/24

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There have been quite a few paper transactions made across the NHL today as teams continue to try to save every little bit of cap room they can.  Here’s a rundown of today’s moves, per the AHL’s transactions log.

  • The Oilers have reassigned defenseman Josh Brown and forward Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield. Brown has been shuffled back and forth in recent days while Caggiula was recalled back on Thursday.  Edmonton is off until Friday and the moves allow them to dip out of using LTIR and bank a small amount of cap space for the next few days.  At least one of them, if not both, will likely be recalled later in the week.
  • A day after being papered down, the Bruins have recalled forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle from AHL Providence. McLaughlin hasn’t played for Boston yet this season while Oesterle suited up three times earlier this month.
  • The Hurricanes have recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from their latest paper loan to AHL Chicago. Both players have been shuffled back and forth routinely in cap-saving moves.
  • A day after the Devils loaned wingers Shane Bowers and Nolan Foote along with defenseman Nick DeSimone to AHL Utica, the trio was recalled today. Sunday’s demotions allowed them to clear LTIR for the day but they are back to using it for the time being now.
  • After being papered down on Sunday, the Golden Knights have recalled wingers Mason Morelli and Callahan Burke, who scored his first NHL goal on Saturday in a win over Montreal. They also brought back blueliner Robert Hagg who was both recalled (on an emergency basis) and sent down on Saturday.  Hagg’s recall moves Vegas back into using LTIR for now.

Oilers Recall Drake Caggiula

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The Edmonton Oilers have recalled forward Drake Caggiula to the NHL roster. This move offers insurance after Zach Hyman left Edmonton’s Tuesday night game before the third period. It was Hyman’s 600th NHL game. No update, or indication of Hyman’s availability, has been made since his early exit.

Caggiula will now return to the NHL just a couple weeks after being sent down from his last recall. He’s played in two games with Edmonton this season, recording one assist, two blocks, and three hits in a fourth-line role. That’s fairly typical output from the veteran forward, who’s spent the bulk of the last eight seasons filling the role of depth bruiser. That context has made Caggiula’s fantastic minor-league scoring over the last three seasons all the more surprising. He has nine points, 17 penalty minutes, and a +4 in 11 games with the AHL’s Bakersfield this season, building on the 90 points he scored in 108 AHL games over the last two seasons. This three-year stint is, surprisingly, Caggiula’s first time playing in the minor-leagues – after earning an NHL role immediately after signing as an undrafted college athlete in 2016.

Caggiula’s scoring isn’t likely to translate to the top flight – it hasn’t so far – but any production would be better than what Edmonton’s received from Hyman recently. The reigning 54-goal scorer has just one assist through his last seven games, and eight points in 20 games this season. He’s on pace to finish the year with just 12 goals and 33 points, which would be Hyman’s lowest scoring in a full season since his rookie year of 2016-17. There’s no clear sign as to if Hyman is expected to sit out, or how long he may be shelved, but Edmonton will get to choose between Derek Ryan, Kasperi Kapanen, and Caggiula should a lineup spot open up.

Oilers Reassign Drake Caggiula

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The Oilers have returned forward Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield, per a team announcement.

Edmonton had recalled Caggiula, 30, last week along with Noah Philp after Connor McDavid exited the lineup with an ankle injury. They had 13 healthy forwards with them both on the roster, though. Caggiula did get into the lineup twice, recording an assist and a +1 rating in a paltry 7:36 of average ice time, but he was a healthy scratch for the Oilers’ most recent contest against the Devils.

The pair of games marked Caggiula’s first in the NHL in two years. The 5’10” winger also spent last year in the Oilers organization, his second run in Edmonton after initially landing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He spent the entire season on assignment to Bakersfield.

McDavid is close to a return, but Caggiula’s reassignment doesn’t indicate he’ll be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Golden Knights. Their following game against the Canucks this weekend remains a possibility. Instead, the reassignment delays the expiration of Caggiula’s temporary waiver exemption since he wasn’t going to be in the lineup tomorrow anyway, by all indications.

Before the call-up, Caggiula had two goals and three assists for five points, 8 PIMs, and a +2 rating in five showings for Bakersfield. Last season, he was among the team’s top point producers with 37 in only 43 appearances. The Ontario native has 46 goals and 92 points in 284 career NHL appearances in parts of eight seasons, most of which came during his first two and a half NHL seasons with Edmonton.

The Oilers now have one open roster spot. It’s inconsequential for McDavid’s return as he was never placed on injured reserve. Caggiula will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after completing his current two-year, two-way deal with Edmonton that pays him a $550K salary in the minors this season.

Edmonton Oilers Recall Drake Caggiula, Noah Philp

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4:07 PM: According to a team announcement, the Oilers organization has confirmed the roster move.

4:00 PM: In light of Connor McDavid’s predicted absence over the next few days and potentially longer, the Edmonton Oilers are bringing some depth to their forward group. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shares the organization is calling up forwards Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

One of the two is bound to enter the lineup as the Oilers only carried 11 healthy forwards before the transaction. There will be a learning curve for both with Philp having yet to make his NHL debut and Caggiula’s last time in the NHL being a four-game stretch with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022-23 NHL season.

Caggiula is in his second stint with the Oilers organization after signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2016. He spent three years with Edmonton scoring 27 goals and 49 points in 156 regular-season contests before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks partway through the 2018-19 campaign.

He returned to the organization last season but spent the entire season with AHL Bakersfield. He scored 13 goals and 37 points in 43 AHL contests being good for fifth on the team in scoring. He’s off to a solid start in the 2024-25 AHL season with three goals and five points through his first five games.

Philp joined the organization in 2022 after finishing his career at the University of Alberta. He was a solid scorer in limited USports action but has struggled to produce in the AHL. He scored 19 goals and 37 points in 70 games for the Condors in 2022-23 but missed all last season due to personal reasons. Philp has suited up in all six games for the Condors this season scoring one goal and three points overall.

Waiver Wire: 10/6/24

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Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt

Carolina Hurricanes

F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki

Chicago Blackhawks 

D Isaak Phillips

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue

Los Angeles Kings

G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka

Nashville Predators

D Marc Del Gaizo

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White

New York Islanders

D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek

New York Rangers

D Matthew Robertson

Ottawa Senators

F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai

Utah Hockey Club

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

D Erik Brannstrom

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Washington Capitals

G Hunter Shepard

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Edmonton Oilers Place Four Players On Waivers

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The defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers are placing four players on waivers as they put the finishing touches on their 2024-25 opening night roster. The organization announced it had placed forwards Drake Caggiula and Raphael Lavoie, defenseman Josh Brown, and goaltender Olivier Rodrigue on waivers.

Caggiula and Brown are depth players with an outside chance of making the roster in specific roles. Neither player was expected to play meaningful minutes for the Oilers this season but will now start the season with their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, assuming both clear waivers tomorrow.

The demotion of Brown will give Edmonton some cap relief, as well. The organization signed Brown to a three-year, $3MM contract on the opening day of free agency this past summer and the Oilers can now entirely remove that cap hit since his salary falls below the $1.25MM threshold.

Placing Lavoie on waivers to start the season may be a bold call by Edmonton’s brass. The team drafted Lavoie with the 38th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft and he’s coming off back-to-back quality campaigns with the Condors. He’s proven to be a quality scorer at the AHL level with 53 goals and 95 points in 127 games since the start of the 2022-23 AHL season.

Lavoie appeared to be an NHL-caliber scorer the Oilers could plug into their bottom-six to start the year and there’s a legitimate chance he’ll be on another team’s roster by tomorrow afternoon. If not, he will start the year in Bakersfield and should serve as an immediate call-up should the Oilers find themselves in injury trouble early.

Rodrigue struggled early upon his start with the Condors during the 2020-21 AHL season but has grown his prospect quality since. He finished last season with a 19-12-5 record in Bakersfield with a .916 SV% and 2.73 GAA. His demotion is mostly circumstantial as Edmonton doesn’t have the financial flexibility to carry three netminders during the season. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard will start the year as the team’s tandem.

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