Edmonton Oilers sign forward Drake Caggiula to two-year contract

Drake Caggiula is coming back to where it all started.

Signing as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers after wrapping up his NCAA career, Caggiula spent two and a half years with the team before he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. He was sent out alongside Jason Garrison in a panic trade by then-GM Peter Chiarelli as he acquired Brandon Manning.

Caggiula, meanwhile, spent the next year and a half with the Blackhawks and has since has stints with the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and most recently, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

An unrestricted free agent heading into today, Caggiula will be returning to the Oilers, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported first.

Shortly after the lunch hour, the Oilers announced it was a two-year contract paying him a league minimum AAV of $775,000.

Caggiula appeared in 156 games with the Oilers when he entered the league scoring 27 goals and 49 points over that time. His career highs of 13 goals and 23 points each came in Edmonton, albeit in separate years. In the 126 games he’s played with the Blackhawks, Sabres, Coyotes and Penguins, he’s scored 19 goals and 42 points.

Caggiula spent last season between the Penguins and their AHL club in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He scored 22 goals and 53 points over 65 games in the AHL and scored zero points across four games with the Penguins.

If the deal is finalized, he will come to Edmonton and compete for a spot in the Oilers’ bottom-six. According to Evolving Wild, Caggiula was projected to sign a one-year, $775,000 contract in free agency.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.