I know Kaleta has been getting slagged to various degrees for his antics in the last game. I was in and out of the room for part of all that so I didn’t see it but it’s a bad game for Patty, no question. I do want to give him credit, as games like this, where you maybe wince and shake your head at a play he makes, are few and far between. On the whole, that’s pretty good for an ‘agitator’ who throws as many hits as he does. Hopefully this won’t be a pattern, as Kaleta had reduced his recklessness a bit last year, and increased his offensive prowess in limited time.
Tag: Patrick Kaleta
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Sabres End Preseason on a High Note
While the Flyers dressed what amounts to the roster for their AHL team last night, a 9-3 win HAD to be fun for those present. You can’t read a lot into it, other than, the guys who were supposed to score scored. Such as Myers, Ennis, Gerbe, Stafford (1+3, nice job Angry Eyebrows), Roy, Pominville, and so on. Kaleta knocked out Darroll Powe apparently. Carcillo did…something to get ejected, no idea what. Bring on the regular season!
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Kaleta Under Contract
I had a really long, alliterative title thought up for this but I’ll spare you. What’s important is Patrick Kaleta is back with the Sabres for 2 more years, at the very reasonable price of $1.815 million over those years. When most folks were expecting $1.3 million +, that’s a deal.
Darcy’s arbitration play worked like a charm, and Kaleta is thrilled to be back. It’s a win-win, for once, for the Sabres. Patty needs to stay healthier, if he does, he might up his goal total to the 15 goal range, which for what he plays a night is a huge contribution, along with the insane number of penalties he draws. By the way, if you want to have some fun, check out the comments about Kaleta at TSN or some of the other national news outlets, you really get a sense of how hated (and as such, feared) he is.
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Curious about Kaleta
Much has been written about the importance of Patrick Kaleta to the Sabres, often including some classic cliches about straws stirring drinks or what not. There have even been statistical analysis comparing Kaleta to Ilya Kovalchuk, quite favorably. So hearing that the Sabres have taken Kaleta to salary arbitration has made some folks nervous. Here’s why I wouldn’t worry.
Firstly, it means Kaleta should be back with the Sabres. Either they sign him before his hearing (which happens quite a bit) or he’ll get the deal from the arbiter. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Patty cannot be signed to any offer sheets. This move keeps the other GMs in the league out of the fray, especially the ones with bigtime cap room and a need for grit. It’s a reduction in the variables involved in the contract equation, which is always a good thing.
Worst case scenario I suppose is this getting to arbitration…but I don’t think Darcy Regier is exactly Glen Sather in there. I don’t think Kaleta will come out in tears.
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Sabres RFAs
Thankfully, the Buffalo Sabres won’t have a lot of RFA drama this offseason. As far as RFAs that made any sort of roster appearance with the big show this year, well, there ain’t that many:
- Tim Kennedy
- Patrick Kaleta
You know those guys are coming back. Neither one is worth enough for another team to make an offer sheet for, but they hold down important roles on the Sabres. The next tier of RFAs are the ones leading the way for the Portland Pirates:
- Mark Mancari
- Marc-Andre Gragnani
- Mike Weber
- Phillip Gogulla
Mike Weber (who got some PT with the Sabres a couple of years ago) is a guy that some are looking to step up to the show potentially, if Tallinder and Lydman both end up leaving. No guarantees though, considering that Sekera and Butler had basically been sharing the 6th d-man spot down the stretch.
The third tier of RFAs are guys I know very little about, to be honest. You can get more info on them at Sabres Prospects, but if there are any RFA types that don’t get tendered an offer by the Sabres, it’s these guys
- Matt Generous
- Jean-Phillipe Lamoreaux
- Michael Kostka
- Derek Whitmore
Not a bad year for Restricted Free Agency for Buffalo. Only one guy is arbitration eligible, and he’s in the third tier (Generous). Shouldn’t be too much stress there.