Ilya Mikheyev Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Proposal: Sign Drake Caggiula for >1.075M There are rumours Benning is looking at Jayce Hawryluk as a UFA signing to fill-out the 4th line. But what about circling back to Drake Caggiula? Played on the same UND team as Boeser (same line) & Stech (come back soon buddy) Was 2nd on that team in points PPG of 0.4 over past two seasons, split between two teams with basically no PP time 81 hits in 40 games last year - with only 11 mins of TOI per game - plays a similar gritty style as Hawryluk, plays bigger than his size Led the Blackhawks in hits with 33 in their 8 game playoff play-in - showing he can up the ante - same when he won the MOP at the Frozen Four (also dominated the playoffs in the OHJL, came 4th in goals on the Oilers in 2017 playoff run, etc). Can slot into any forward position - good for a forward signing who may have to, and allow young players some games in their 'natural' position 50/50 ozone / dzone starts last year Quote Caggiula was a solid role player for Chicago last season, picking up 15 points while dishing out 81 hits in 40 contests, but the Hawks are in a crunch cap-wise, so he'll end up being a casualty of their lack of cash. The 26-year-old winger won't have any trouble finding a new landing spot once free agency opens Friday. GM Jim Benning attempted to sign Caggiula when he was a college FA: Quote “Drake Caggiula from the University of North Dakota is supposed to make his announcement today” explained McKenzie. “Initially I had heard that it was down to two teams, and there was a lot of talk that it was down to Vancouver and Pittsburgh. I was also hearing last night that maybe not Vancouver and Pittsburgh, but perhaps Vancouver and Edmonton.” Caggiula, who had dinner with Francesco Aquilini, Trevor Linden, and Jim Benning in Vancouver last week, had 51 points in 39 games (25-26-51) with the National Champions from the University of North Dakota. He, along with his linemates, Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz, combined for an incredible plus-minus of +135 this season. Elite prospects: Quote A smart, skilled, and gritty buzzsaw of a winger that gets up and down the ice with focused drive. His mobility is elite, and his first three steps propel him to top speed quickly. Defensively, he is very active and can contain the opposition by limiting their chances in the slot. Offensively, he can be uncontainable, consistently displaying excellent vision and individual puck skills; can act as both the passer or the shooter in any given situation. An all-around game, rooted in his strong will to win and his ability to make the players around him better, is what he brings each and every night. Character is something built through tough situational battles and having to step up at key moments as a leader. Caggiula has the capacity to be that leader on and off the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonoman Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Might be worth a look for league minimum. Waive Louie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkSave Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 We don't need more F's at the moment. Unless a F becomes available who JB really really wants, I don't think we add pieces. We still have to sign Jake and Gaud and I'd rather have them in our lineup over DC. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 28 minutes ago, sonoman said: Might be worth a look for league minimum. Waive Louie. we have to do that anyway to fit in Jake and Gaudette. Unless Jim can clear some cap we won't be signing anyone not destined for Utica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_314 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 (edited) Sign me up for league minimum. Watched his highlights and it's great to see him flying out there, getting to open areas and going to the net for put-backs and tips. He's not a center given his face-off percentage but the edge, skill and speed he brings is well worth it for $700k (given we don't re-sign Leivo). It might be a worthwhile signing (if not first PTO if that happens) to bring him in, since he'd also be cheaper than someone like Lind, and we need to shave cap. Edited October 17, 2020 by Phil_314 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Put him on a line with Brock and let them rekindle their magic together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lock Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 I guess my question is does he provide anything we don't have already? I get that he's a nice gritty forward, but is he an upgrade in any way over whoever he'd be replacing on the roster? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo18 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 i wouldnt. when he had the chance to choose us he chose edmonton, so he can rot away its fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 21 hours ago, KirkSave said: We don't need more F's at the moment. Unless a F becomes available who JB really really wants, I don't think we add pieces. We still have to sign Jake and Gaud and I'd rather have them in our lineup over DC. Yea, there's a few variables. But, rumour is that Benning is coming to terms with Hawryluk - probably to have some competition and not just hand the 4th line wing spot to Big Mac. So, I think he's gonna add a cheap forward at the very least, but yea, there could be some over moves on the horizon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 16 hours ago, The Lock said: I guess my question is does he provide anything we don't have already? I get that he's a nice gritty forward, but is he an upgrade in any way over whoever he'd be replacing on the roster? Well, the bottom-6 provided almost no offense against Vegas. Caggiula is a fast player who has been scoring at .4 point per game pace, and only had 1 powerplay point last year at that as he didn't get PP time (so, mostly 5 on 5 points). He paced for 22 even strength points over 69 games (in comparison, Jake had 27, and it's similar pace to Sutter). He's a player like Motte who seems to up his game when it counts. He definitely wouldn't fill the void left by Tof, but he would be an upgrade to the 4th line IMO - and a cheap one at that. Plus, there's always the off-chance that him and Boeser have some chemistry still and he could be a decent top-9 fill in if there's an injury. He can play all 3 forward positions so easy to slot up, and make room for developing players to play their comfortable position as needed. On top of that he IS a gritty player who had 33 hits in 8 games in the playoffs last year compared to the 2nd place person on a lacklustre team that had 20. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 22 hours ago, The Lock said: I guess my question is does he provide anything we don't have already? I get that he's a nice gritty forward, but is he an upgrade in any way over whoever he'd be replacing on the roster? He'd be an upgrade on Rooster for that 3rd line for sure. Assuming Ferland legit can't play anymore. In which case Ferland when healthy is better than Caggiula. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonoman Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 3 hours ago, N7Nucks said: He'd be an upgrade on Rooster for that 3rd line for sure. Assuming Ferland legit can't play anymore. In which case Ferland when healthy is better than Caggiula. Upgrade on Ericksson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, sonoman said: Upgrade on Ericksson At this point I think you and I could be upgrades on Eriksson. Edited October 19, 2020 by N7Nucks 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 3 minutes ago, N7Nucks said: At this point I think you and I could be upgrades on Eriksson. I'd rather watch Fin in full gear than LE. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 1 minute ago, King Heffy said: I'd rather watch Fin in full gear than LE. Not gonna lie, Fin looks like he'd throw some massive hits. I think he was made for the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 1 minute ago, N7Nucks said: Not gonna lie, Fin looks like he'd throw some massive hits. I think he was made for the playoffs. He looks a lot like Keith Tkachuk, so I can see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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