Drake Caggiula has one goal in mind when the NHL play-in tournament begins – to beat the Edmonton Oilers.
The 26-year-old Caggiula is now playing for the Chicago Blackhawks after he and Jason Garrison were sent to the Blackhawks for Brandon Manning and Robin Norell in December 2018.
When the Blackhawks met the Oilers in the play-in round for the NHL’s return to the tournament, Caggiula joined 630 CHED Reid Wilkins last week to discuss his profession, paternity, and a chance of revenge.
“It adds fuel to the fire,” said Caggiula against Edmonton. “You are playing against your old organization. You want to show that they may have given you up a little early. “
The trade, which failed four games after Christmas 2018, surprised him.
“It was a crazy experience for me. I never saw it coming, ”said Caggiula. “I played video games with my friends and received a text from my agent saying, ‘Did you hear anything about the trade? ‘
“Then I had to sit in Edmonton for six days before my visa was worked out. Most trades are likely to go a little smoother. “
From day one, this was bad trading for the Oilers and a great example of how panicked Peter Chiarelli’s last days were. The Oilers’ backend was exhausted from injuries earlier this year, but when Christmas rolled around the Oilers, the Oilers were on the verge of getting the bodies back.
But Chiarelli opted for two trades instead on December 30 – early in the day when he bought Alex Petrovic for Chris Wideman and a selection for Round 3 in 2019, then the Manning trade.
The Oilers didn’t do any better, and less than a month later, Chiarelli was fired.
Caggiula was never a big scorer for the Oilers, but made a modest contribution in a bottom six role, scoring 49 points in 156 games. Since trading, his score has increased by 27 points in 66 games.
Manning is still in the Oilers’ books today.
On Twitter: @zjlaing
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