Patrick Kaleta : RFA Report

by David Oleksy on May 5, 2009 10:42 AM EDT

Over the next couple of weeks we will have a new feature on Die by the Blade. WE will take a look at the players that will be free agents as of July 1. The restricted free agents will be first and the unrestricted will follow.

Patrick Kaleta (RFA)
Clarke MacArthur (RFA)
Andrej Sekera (RFA)
Drew Stafford (RFA)
Max Afinogenov (UFA)
Dominic Moore (UFA)
Andrew Peters (UFA)
Jaro Spacek (UFA)
Mikael Tellqvist (UFA) - signed with Ak-Bars in KHL.

Patrick Kaleta

#36 / Right Wing / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 5-11

Weight: 195

Born: Jun 08, 1986

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Patrick Kaleta	51	4	5	9	1	89	0	0	0	0	35	11.4

Kaleta emerged as an everyday player during the 2007-2008 season but many people were skeptical as to whether he would remain in the Sabres lineup this season. He did remain in the Sabres lineup although he suffered through some injuries including several head related injuries.

Strengths

Kaleta is the type of player that you hate to play against but love to have on your team. I know that expresion gets thrown around a lot but in the case of Kaleta, it is 100% true and there is no better way to describe him.

Kaleta is not only a player that can get under the skin of is opponent but he is a decent hockey player as well. He spent some time killing off penalties for the Sabres this season and he can play in a defensive role on the team. He finished the season with a plus one rating in 51 games.

Weaknesses

Kaleta often finds himself in the penalty box for taking extra liberties with opponents. He has developed a reputation as being a cheap hockey player and in may respects he is. His hits are often borderline if not completely late and sometimes leaves his feet to make a hit.

Kaleta also has developed some injuries that may be the type of injuries that linger on throughout his career. Sabres fans have a pretty good understanding of head and neck injuries with Pat Lafontaine and Tim Connolly. Kaleta would fall into that category of a player with a history of head related injuries.

Bottom Line

The Sabres need to sgn Kaleta for a couple more seasons. The price tag will be relatively inexpensive and he brings a lot to the team. The Sabres are widely known as being a soft team and they need more players with the grit that Kaleta has.

The Verdict

The Sabres will be able to sign Kaleta to a new contract. It is possible that another team may try to sign him to an offer sheet but I find that scenario to be highly unlikely.

[Note by D.O., 05/05/09 12:05 PM EDT ] Great link that was posted by The Forechecker in the comments. It is a look at the penalty plus/minus leaders in the NHL.

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Comments

Strengths and Weaknesses

Kaleta’s ability to live on the edge of whether a hit is late or not is what makes him a great asset to our team, and also what lands him in the box at times. He hits so hard sometimes that he gets a charging call for legal hits, although sometimes gets the benefit of the doubt on a late hit that should be interference, in my opinion. Very confusing, but it all evens out in the end. He has developed a reputation for being cheap but I think he is perhaps the cleanest agitator in the league.
I love Kaleta and his role on this team is perfect. However, if he could add another dimension to his game, being increased role on PK or an increased scoring touch (much of this I realize is dependant on ice time and line-mates) he could really become an unstoppable force for us. He did see some time on the PK near the end of the season and at few times landed himself on a top two line and excelled.
His play as it is now absolutely warrants a contract as it will be cheap and he is one of the most important, physical players on a relatively soft roster.

by willgarr15 on May 5, 2009 10:57 AM EDT reply actions

One example of Kaleta’s value as an agitator is his Penalty Plus/Minus figure of +25, the 5th-highest mark in the NHL this season. Basically, he generated a net of 25 power plays for the Sabres, after subtracting out the PK’s he caused by taking penalties.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on May 5, 2009 11:04 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks

I’ve added this link to the main post to sow the value of Patrick Kaleta to the Sabres or to any other team that might want to sign him to an offer sheet.

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on May 5, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Great point

The penalty +/- is pretty much the best way to quantify an agitator’s efforts. Completely forgot that stat existed…That’s a lot of powerplays

by willgarr15 on May 5, 2009 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions

kaleta

is he a real man?where was he when gomez ran miller,in fact where was mair?get rid of the over rated mair,guys a pu**y. miller goes down mair hides,kalets hides,i bekieve gaustad was injured,but aren’t these three our so-called tough guys?where the eff were they? for that matter where was that other so-called tough,leader type defenseman….ooops can’t say his name,it would be like swearing. this team of ours is the most selfish,cowardly bunch of collect the paycheck figs,oops misspelled that word, i’ve ever seen.GO SABRES!! place HOME in between go and sabres.

by charles t on May 20, 2009 6:37 PM EDT reply actions