The Buffalo Sabres have made an addition to the roster via waivers, claiming forward Drake Caggiula from the Arizona Coyotes.
Caggiula was waived by the Coyotes on Thursday in a move that would have allowed the team to assign Caggiula to the taxi squad. The 26-year-old winger has appeared in 27 games this season in Arizona, scoring one goal and adding six assists for seven points.
The name may sound familiar to some Sabres fans, as Caggiula was an attendee of the team's development camp back in 2014 after his sophomore season at the University of North Dakota.
Caggiula went on to play two more seasons of college hockey in Grand Forks, where he combined to score 43 goals and register 44 assists for 87 points in 81 games played.
After his senior season, where he produced with 25 goals and 26 assists while helping North Dakota to a 2016 NCAA title, Caggiula drew a lot of interest as a college free agent and decided to sign an entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers. The Sabres were reportedly one of the teams interested in his services during the free agency period.
In parts of two-and-a-half seasons with the Oilers, Caggiula managed to score 27 goals and add 22 assists for 49 points as a depth player. After 156 games in Edmonton, the Oilers traded Caggiula to the Chicago Blackhawks in December of 2018.
With the Blackhawks, Caggiula did not manage to catch on too well with just 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 66 games. In eight playoff games during the NHL's Return to Play plan during the summer of 2020, Caggiula contributed with a goal and two assists.
Caggiula went most of the 2020 offseason unsigned until he inked a one-year deal with the Coyotes worth the league-minimum of $700,000.
It has been some time since the Sabres have last claimed a player off waivers. The last player to be claimed via waivers was forward Remi Elie back in 2018 from the Dallas Stars.
With the NHL Trade Deadline approaching on Monday at 3 p.m. ET, Caggiula could be a move the Sabres make to provide some added depth on the roster in case Kevyn Adams moves