Drake Caggiula coming up from AHL suggests another injury to Oilers’ forward group

This move comes after Zach Hyman left the team’s game against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday before the start of the third period. There’s been no update on his status, but sending defenceman Josh Brown to the American Hockey League in favour of winger Drake Caggiula suggests Hyman might be on the shelf for a game or two.

The Oilers are set to host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night and then they’ll play at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday before having a five-day break in their schedule. Edmonton will then start a three-game road trip the following Friday in Salt Lake City against the Utah Hockey Club.

Caggiula is in his second go-around with the Oilers. He originally signed with the team in the summer of 2016 following a successful NCAA career with the University of North Dakota but was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in December of 2019 in exchange for Brandon Manning.

After spending time with the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, and Pittsburgh Penguins, Caggiula inked a two-year, two-way deal with the Oilers. He spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season with the Condors and scored 13 goals and 37 points in a year that was limited to 43 games because of injury.

Caggiula was brought up from Bakersfield in late October when Connor McDavid suffered an ankle injury. He played in two games with the NHL club and picked up an assist in a win over the Nashville Predators. With the Condors, Caggiula has played 11 games and has five goals and nine points along with 17 penalty minutes.

Winger Viktor Arvidsson has also missed the last four games because of an undisclosed injury and it’s unknown if he’ll be ready to play against the Wild or Rangers. Without Hyman and Arvidsson available, the Oilers still have 12 forwards with the recall of Caggiula and the addition of Kasperi Kapanen through waivers earlier this week.