Buffalo Sabres keep Patrick Kaleta, Ottawa Senators re-sign Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres
Patrick Kaleta was being taken into salary arbitration by the Buffalo Sabres but before any arbitration hearings could begin, the Sabres signed Kaleta to a 2 year contract that they could be happy with.
Kaleta was the only player this year whose team was taking him into arbitration and he was clearly relieved when the arbitration process was avoided. “I was never a big fan of arbitration, going in there and pleading cases,” Kaleta told the press. He said that he was happy to have finalized the deal and not having to worry about the arbitration process anymore. General Manager Darcy Regier made a statement along the same lines. “It's always better to get a deal done if you can and avoid the arbitration process. That was the intent from the outset so I'm glad it worked out this way.” Regier said.
Regier said that he had been frustrated by the failed bids to attract free agents to the Buffalo Sabres. He said that it was something that the players chose of their own accord and not because the Buffalo’s offers were lacking in substance. That perhaps prompted Regier to approach Kaleta’s contract in this unique way, making sure that Kaleta would be under contract before the start of the regular season.
The deal Kaleta signed with the Sabres pays him $1.815 million for two years. The new deal gives him a raise from his last year’s $522,000. It should be noted that last year, he scored his career best of 10 goals out of his total of 17 in the NHL. If he was to ever earn a raise, it would be in this season.
It’s not his offensive presence or goal scoring abilities that make Kaleta an NHL worthy. His 240 penalty minutes in 153 NHL games should give the readers an idea about his style of play. The same style also makes him a favourite among Buffalo fans but susceptible to injuries as well. He has missed quite a few games at the hands of the injuries he has sustained. The Sabres GM acknowledged this fact when he said that they want to help Kaleta change his game without diminishing his energy and fire but using it at different times to make sure that he could avoid injuries as much as possible.
His previous season’s statistical jump must have given him the confidence he needed to change his game and focus on earning points for his team. “I'm hoping to be an ever bigger contributor this year offensively and improve my game to another level people don't think I can play at.” Speaking about his performance in the last season, he said that he was proud of what he had accomplished and hoped that he could continue to improve as time went by.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators have been happy with Nick Foligno and are keeping him for another two years with the Franchise. His new $2.4 million contract is a significant raise from the $785,000 he made last year. Nick said that he was very happy with playing for the Senators again. All his 187 NHL games came with the Ottawa Senators.
Following a knee injury last season, Nick was unable to make a comeback. In the 2008/2009 season, the player scored 17 goals. However, the 2009/2010 season saw the forward manage just 9 goals in only 61 games. Nick was not able to return to play for 7 games following the first injury. A second injury hardly a month later kept him out of another 13 games. Nick admitted that it was a tough year for him. “I was inconsistent because of my injuries,” he said.
Nick has been putting a lot of effort into his training this summer as he tried to take his place among the Senators to the top six spot. Nick was the Senator’s first round draft pick and stands at 65-131 in 196 NHL games.
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