Patrick Kaleta Signing: Breaking Down The New Contract
With the Buffalo Sabres announcing the multi-year deal for Patrick Kaleta, the first question Sabres fans want to know is what does the deal look like? Then, we ask ourselves whether it is a good deal or not. Kaleta was signed for three seasons with a $1.25 million cap hit in each season. That places him among the eighth lowest paid player on the roster. He is one of six players that is signed into the 2014-15 season.
Thanks to CapGeek, we can take a look at the top ten player contracts that closely compare to Kaleta's brand new contract:
| Name | Age | Team | Length | Cap Hit |
| Patrick Kaleta | 26 | Buf | 3 | 1,250,000 |
| Blake Comeau | 26 | Cgy | 1 | 1,250,000 |
| Chuck Kobasew | 30 | Col | 2 | 1,250,000 |
| Daniel Paille | 28 | Bos | 3 | 1,300,000 |
| Cody McCormick | 29 | Buf | 3 | 1,300,000 |
| Patrick Eaves | 28 | Det | 3 | 1,300,000 |
| Vladimir Sobotka | 25 | Stl | 3 | 1,300,000 |
| Lars Eller | 23 | Mtl | 2 | 1,325,000 |
| Brad Richardson | 27 | Lak | 2 | 1,175,000 |
| Boyd Gordon | 28 | Pho | 2 | 1,325,000 |
Taking a quick look at this chart, there aren't many players on that list that I would have to have over Kaleta. It also shows to me that the contract comes in at a decent price for the team. The Sabres are able to keep a fan favorite and a player that is a good ambassador for the Western New York area for relatively cheap.
Taking a look at the Sabres salary cap situation, the team has $31 million tied up into 12 forwards, with CapGeek assuming Kevin Porter makes the main roster. Overall, the Sabres have 23 players under contract with $8.66 million left in cap space. Buffalo still has to sign Tyler Ennis to a contract and possibly work out a deal or two to account for all of the defensemen the Sabres still have on the roster. With that being said, the Sabres still have some work to do but they still look like they are in good shape heading into the season.