Blackhawks: Why Drake Caggiula should play against Oilers

Drake Caggiula is one of the only links the Chicago Blackhawks have to the Edmonton Oilers, and when it comes for these two teams to faceoff I hope they let Caggiula run wild.

Drake Caggiula missed sometime before the NHL lockdown began because of COVID 19, but now it looks like he is ready to go as he has fully recovered. In my opinion, Caggiula can be a top-line forward for Chicago, and I think he fits with Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik.

Let’s let Caggiula run wild against his former team, a team that thought it was wise to trade him for Brandon Manning. The best revenge comes when you are in a playoff-like atmosphere, and letting Caggiula run wild would let the Blackhawks decide whether or not he is worth bringing back next season.

The Blackhawks do not have a lot of cap space heading into next year. That means we are going to need to choose wisely on who we bring back, and for what price. Players like Corey Crawford, Malcolm Subban, Dylan Strome, and Dominik Kubalik are all on expiring contracts. The only way Caggiula is going to be back is if he forces the Blackhawks to sign him thanks to his great play.

Caggiula has 27 points in 66 games with the Blackhawks over the course of two seasons. While he might not be our best player he does provide a nice depth position, as he can play up and down the lineup. I also think Caggiula is a more cost-friendly Andrew Shaw type of player, which the Blackhawks might need with Shaw out on a concussion long term for right now.

Caggiula knows the Edmonton Oilers, and at the end of the day that is all that matters. He spent 3 years with Connor McDavid and company and has spent time within their system. While things change over time, hopefully, he might have a bit of an inside eye on the opponent. It has not even been two years since he played for the Oilers, and now here we are trying to get to the Stanley Cup playoffs with Caggiula!