Before NHL free agency opens at noon on Wednesday, the Buffalo Sabres locked up one of their impending unrestricted free agents. The team announced Tuesday afternoon that they had re-signed forward Drake Caggiula to a one-year contract worth $750,000.
We have signed forward Drake Caggiula to a one-year contract worth $750,000.
Welcome back Drake!
Details: https://t.co/iQuu2eNvyv pic.twitter.com/bZYhWtQ8Ni
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 27, 2021
It’s a small raise for Caggiula, who earned $700,000 last season. In re-signing him, the Sabres have brought back a decent bottom-six option. While he won’t be the star player signing of this year’s free agency period, Caggiula is still a good depth forward. The 27-year-old had three points, including two goals, in 11 games with Buffalo. He also recorded seven points (1-6) in 27 games with the Arizona Coyotes.
Caggiula has also previously played with the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks. With 281 games of NHL experience under his belt, he’s not the most seasoned veteran on the block but can still provide a fairly affordable presence on the forward corps to help guide some of the younger players.
Other Sabres UFAs who could hit the market at noon include Tobias Rieder, Riley Sheahan, Matt Irwin, Jake McCabe, Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark. Hutton is expected to go, while McCabe has been linked to teams including Chicago.