When the Blackhawks’ acquired Drake Caggiula in exchange for Brandon Manning, it was seen as a win because Manning was no longer the Blackhawks’ problem. Eventually, we would learn the trade was a win for other reasons as well.
The Drake Caggiula Effect
The addition of Caggiula gave Jeremy Colliton more flexibility for line combinations. This was evident when he played alongside Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the 1st line.
Caggiula willingly took on the role of board battle master. This freed Toews up to be more of a contributor on offense. Kane would have a field day with the matchups Caggiula created for himself and Toews.