Patrick Kaleta Waiting On Second Chance – Again

Patrick Kaleta may be one of few people in the NHL sick of catching breaks.

The notorious Buffalo Sabres’ pest had quite the season to forget in 2013.  On October 10th Kaleta received yet another validated parking pass from the Department of Player Safety after an in-person hearing resulted in a 10-game suspension for throwing a check to the face of Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson.  In an effort to send a message to the oft banned forward the team sent him down to their AHL affiliate in Rochester, hoping that Kaleta could learn to improve his overall game and learn a little more about self-discipline.  And in his first game back with the Amerks, Kaleta ruptured his ACL in a collision with an opposing goaltender and was lost for the season.  Any hopes he had of returning after the hiring of Ted Nolan were gone.

Kaleta came into 2014 looking to rehab his knee as well as his image throughout the league.  The first part seemed to be going well as Kaleta was able to suit up for the Sabres during the preseason.  Until September 28th, when Kaleta’s fearlessness led him to his second break in a year after taking a slap shot to the face against Toronto from – it doesn’t really matter who it’s from. IT’S A SLAP SHOT TO THE FACE.  It’s actually quite the stroke of luck that Kaleta will only be out for another month when the initial fear was the injury would put him out into early 2015.  One can only imagine how frustrated this setback has to be, particularly when framed against his reflections on the progress in his game shortly after the Johnson suspension.

In an October 18, 2013 article from Chris Ryndak on sabres.com (http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=687434) Kaleta seems to understand the need to adapt his game to avoid running afoul with the league:

"“I’ve been changing my game over the past little while.  Everyone who’s watched the Sabres and has paid close attention has seen it,” he said.  “Like I said, I just need to keep continuing to get better and do what’s best for the team and try to be a positive influence on what’s going on here.”"

With his latest injury Kaleta gets removed a little further from exactly what’s going on here.  I’ve written on this site how I thought Brendan Lemieux could fill this role, but right now the opportunity seems to be with a young player with a bit more seasoning.  Nick Deslauriers, acquired last year in a deal with the Kings, has been given many opportunities to be the pest with (hopefully) more scoring output this preseason and hasn’t disappointed.  And with Hudson Fasching and Lemieux in the pipeline as other potential candidates to fill the energy spots, these lost opening weeks have to be weighing heavy on Kaleta.

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This season is going to be all about work ethic and learning the process of maturing into a good professional.  The Sabres have acquired plenty of leadership through trade and free agency that won’t help them make a playoff push this year but with lay the foundation for the future of the franchise.  And even before his latest injury there were serious doubt as to whether or not Kaleta could fit into the teams plans.  The longer he is out the less likely his contributions are to be missed – professional sports are all about what you have done for me lately.  And being the trainers best friend may come in handy at times but it won’t play well on an NHL resume, particularly at a time when the agitator/enforcer role is evolving into more than just a hitter than can fight but to someone that can skate better and chip in more on the scoresheet.

While I like certain points to his game, I am terrified for what the lost time means for Kaleta not as much for the Sabres but for any potential next team.  With his history of questionable tactics and league mandated “time outs”, Kaleta may see the first few weeks of the season unfold with Deslauriers taking his roster spot.  The way Kaleta plays the game, I can see him responding to that by playing at 120 mph and hitting anything that wears the opposing sweater – clean or not.  I worry that a player with a history like his that feeds off of the emotion of a loss of opportunity and reduced job security may see this as his last chance to stay in the league.  And players like Kaleta when they play don’t overthink and get paralyzed.  They think less, and I fear Kaleta may cross the line one more time and wind up in Dale Hunter territory with his next suspension.

We have to wait until November to find out.