Patrick Kaleta, noted waste of space and recent recipient of the Matt Cooke "Hey, Bro, I can help you change" award, has been waived by the Buffalo Sabres. You may remember that Kaleta was given a 10-game suspension for this hit on Jack Johnson.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2XJpL4Snwpg
If you look up "head shot" on Wikipedia, I'm fairly sure that there's a screen grab of the hit as an illustration. It was vicious, it was intentional, and it knocked Johnson into next Tuesday.
Kaleta could have returned from the suspension tonight, but Sabres general manager Darcy Regier has instead elected to waive him. If no team claims him (and really, who would?) he will be playing for Rochester soon.
The reasoning behind the waiving of Kaleta is interesting:
“This was a move we thought was necessary to help Pat change his game and preserve his career in this league,” Regier said in a statement. “We believe in Pat as a person and we hope he will continue his career in our organization and, if the circumstances are right, with the Buffalo Sabres.”
So, this is a wake-up call to a player that's refused to wake up. Kaleta has had more than enough chances to change his game; this is about the Sabres changing their game – and perception around the league. Nothing more, nothing less.
