TRADE: D Brandon Manning to Edmonton, F Drake Caggiula to Chicago

CHICAGO, IL -- Sometimes, Stan Bowman really does work wonders.

This is certainly one of those instances.

For those of you that may not know, Brandon Manning was the one that broke Connor McDavid's collarbone his rookie year. It seems like he may have done it on purpose, and Connor McDavid didn't like the 'classless' move.

Well, now they're teammates. That'll be good.

Anyways, back to the actual trade.

Manning's been a healthy scratch for a couple weeks now, and I think the only reason it's a surprise is because another team actually wanted him. I know that sounds harsh, but it's not exactly wrong. Bowman's been trying to fix this one for a while, and he finally found a taker.

With Manning went D Robin Norell, who has been playing in Sweden this season after playing in Rockford last year. To Chicago with Caggiula came D Jason Garrison, who I'm thinking will likely be put on waivers shortly, since the Blackhawks are a little heavy on defensemen right now.

Either way, I love this trade for the Hawks at face-value. If you aren't familiar, Caggiula was part of the CBS line--the top line in North Dakota two years ago with Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz. They were the most electrifying line in college hockey, and all three of those players have made their mark in the NHL.

As it stands, through 29 games, he's got seven goals and four assists for eleven points. It's not a great record, but I think it's worth taking into consideration that the Oilers are, well... the Oilers, and he's been floating around their lineup all season. I think, like Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini, Caggiula might find his stride in Chicago. He certainly has the potential to, like Strome and Perlini, so I'm interested to see how it pans out.

If nothing else, the Hawks were able to shed Manning and his entire contract, which is a miracle in of itself.

This season's been a wild one, folks, and it's just going to get crazier from here on out.

Are you still in?

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