Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta was placed on waivers. He cleared them and was assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. This will be his first time playing for Rochester since the 2007-2008 season where he had 4 pts and 109 penalty minutes in 29 games.
The move came as a shock to many Sabres fans who have not had much to cheer for this season. While the Angola NY native (about 30 mins south of Buffalo), does not score a lot of goals (27 career tallies), he kills penalties and is an avid shot blocker. When a hometown player gets cut, it hurts because people feel he should not get cut. Perhaps if Buffalo had a better record, people wouldn’t be as upset about the move.
Kaleta is known around the league as an agitator. He often draws penalties and has some bone jarring hits. He is not afraid to sacrifice his body for the team and he provides a lot of energy. This is what makes this transaction difficult for Sabres fans. Yes, he is coming off a 10 game suspension, but perhaps he learned his lesson after missing most of October and forfeiting a good chunk of his salary. Kaleta should know that any questionable check could cost him 15-20 games potentially.
(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
I highly disagree with the move by the Sabres. Yes, I understand that GM Darcy Regier wants him to change his game so he doesn’t get suspended again. Regier believes sending him to Rochester will help him change his game. In my opinion, I would rather have Patrick Kaleta in my lineup who kills penalties and brings a lot of energy than John Scott who maybe plays 5 minutes a game.
The Sabres haven’t done many positive things this year on and off the ice. Perhaps they will turn it around or perhaps they will continue to show a lackluster effort for the next 6 months.
Bob Duggan
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