Former Oilers Forward Leaves NHL, Officially Signs New Deal Overseas

Almost a decade ago, the Edmonton Oilers brought in un-drafted college free agent Drake Caggiula, and since that point, he's bounced around the league as a very serviceable depth forward.

In that time, he's compiled 289 games played with Edmonton, Chicago, Arizona, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, before playing out the 2024/25 campaign with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors, while competing in seven NHL games for the Oilers.

In 62 games played in the AHL, Caggiula tallied 24 goals and 52 points, but it became clear that the 30-year old wasn't going to get much action in the NHL, and now, he's taken a chance on himself.

According to reports, Caggiula has inked a deal with Lausanne HC of the National League in Switzerland, with the veteran joining many others in the past few years by taking his talent to a top league in Europe.

While he's managed just 92 points in his 289 games at the NHL level, Caggiula is a very solid, serviceable forward, and now, he's looking to prove it in one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

At 30-years of age, it's unclear if we'll ever see Caggiula in the NHL again, but if he can perform well in Switzerland, there's still plenty of time for him to prove himself and get given another shot at the top league in the world.

For now though, we'll see if he can perform for the first time in Europe as he looks to revive his career on the back of a fantastic AHL campaign, with the veteran still having plenty of gas left in the tank at this stage of his career.