Dan Bylsma is having a tough time warming up to his new employee Patrick Kaleta.
Bylsma said as much on Saturday.
The former Pittsburgh bench boss still has visions of Kaleta tormenting and disturbing the sh*t out of his Penguins squads. It appears as though Kaleta's trademark, ball buster style has had an effect on Bylsma over the years.
“I have a hard time not wanting to kill him,… Bylsma said wryly Saturday afternoon.
“But I’ve told him that. I let him know I’m trying to like you, I’m trying to put it behind me. He still does inspire that in me when I see him.…
Kaleta has that effect on people. Opponents want to Kaleta him through the Zamboni doors at 120 mph to repaying him for a heavy body check or his creatively aggravating chirps. Some opponents succeed in burying the Buffalo boy along the walls and in open ice. Most, however, end up taking stupid retaliatory penalties against Kaleta who flashes his pearly whites at the enemy bench while the Sabres head to the power play.
Photo courtesy Dan Hickling
Kaleta pushes buttons and he clearly has succeeded at mashing Bylsma's buttons.
Bylsma said he was reminded of Kaleta's pugnacity while watching PK36 throw his weight around while finishing checks and separating men from pucks. On one shift early in Friday's scrimmage, the Kane-O'Reilly-Ennis line to flow impressively through the neutral zone to Chad Johnson's goal crease. O'Reilly and Ennis went fishing for loose pucks. Without hesitation, Kaleta sped to the defense of Johnson and applied a heavy cross check to Ennis' spine. Kaleta then skated up to Ennis and mouthed something to him. My guess is that Pat wasn't telling Enzo his fantasy football lineup for this Sunday. No, Kaleta likely was telling Ennis and anyone else within earshot that he would be trucking them if they dared to mess with Johnson again.
That's how Kaleta has rolled for the past seven seasons with the Sabres.
Kaleta is attending Sabres training camp on a personal tryout contract. He has to sell out every shift if he is going to be noticed by Tim Murray and the coaches. Frankly, its pretty hard not to identify Kaleta when he is on the ice. He is the guy flying around at break neck speed with the dark tinted visor on.
On Saturday, Byslma said glowing things about Kaleta.
“He stood out in how he practiced,… Bylsma said.
Problem being, the Sabres don't have a roster spot for Kaleta at this moment.
That could change though.
“When you go into a season and look at contracts and you try to put people with those contracts into situations, we don’t have a lot of opportunity,… Bylsma explained. “But I think as a veteran and as a guy in Pat’s shoes you have to come out and do exactly what he’s doing in camp, which is play his style, play his game.…
Kaleta only knows one way how to play. He is hostile, agile and mobile. He is a man on a mission who refuses to be marginalized out of Buffalo. Bylsma is preaching and installing a high pace, up-tempo attack. Kaleta is currently in the best shape that he has been in for quite some time. Kaleta's speed is on par with that of Evander Kane, Ryan O'Reilly, Tyler Ennis, Jack Eichel, Brendan Guhle and the other speedsters in training camp. Kaleta's surgically repaired knee that hampered him last summer is not even a consideration right now. PK36 is flying around the ice the same way he had in 2010. It's very impressive to watch him work right now. He doesn't look out of place.
Sure, he can play in Rochester. Tim Murray signed him to a Rochester Amerks one year contract last week. Kaleta will take that deal as a last resort. He wants to stay at home.
Kaleta isn't leaving Buffalo without a fight.
“It’s not a real game out there, but in a sense it is, and a goal is a goal,… Kaleta said. “I’m happy to show that I’m able to contribute in that manner. Today I was able to show I can still hit.…
If Kaleta has to agitate Bylsma by conjuring up images of old battles then so be it. Kaleta is now firmly in Bylsma's head. Bylsma admitted as much on Saturday.
Advantage: Kaleta.
“I think it’s guys wanting to show that they’re here and they’re willing to do whatever they can to make the team,… Kaleta said. “When you’re not a top-six player and you’re in the bottom six battling, part of your game is going to have to be physicality. Teams cannot play without being physical nowadays. That’s just guys going out there and doing what they need to do to succeed.…
A silver lining moment for Kaleta occurred on Friday when it was learned that veteran winger Cody McCormick failed his training camp physical on Thursday due to blood clots that have plagued him last season. Kaleta and McCormick are dear friends and training partners. I'm certain that Kaleta feels horrible for McCormick's plight, however, he must soldier on. On man's loss is another man's gain.
Kaleta is unbroken and he is the next man up.
The 29 year old Angola native skated with his Sabres teammates as an unsigned UFA for the month leading up to the opening of Thursday's training camp. At one point Kaleta wore an NHLPA sweater or a gold Sabres sweater turned inside out to symbolize his status as UFA. He was a man without a country, so to speak.
Last week, Tim Murray made a smart move by signing Kaleta to Rochester Amerks deal.
Randy Cunneyworth certainly can use a respected veteran like PK36 to help mentor the kids in Rochester this season. Kaleta and veteran Matt Ellis could certainly lead the way for prospects like Justin Bailey, Nick Baptiste, Jake McCabe, William Carrier, Andrey Makarov, and others.
Kaleta knows that if he continues to bust his butt in training camp that he will be in prime position to be a call up when injuries hit the Sabres this season. Kaleta knows that he will be skating heavy minutes in Rochester and that he will be a no brainer injury call-up option. Having a seasoned veteran champing at the bit to be recalled is never a bad thing for an NHL head coach and GM. Kaleta has played 360 (12 playoff games) NHL games in nine seasons in Buffalo. He has scored 27 goals and has chipped in 27 assists. He has accumulated 542 PIMs in his NHL career.
Marcus Foligno, David Legwand and Nic Deslauriers are currently skating as the fourth line in training camp scrimmages and drills. Kaleta is the extra forward. Bylsma really liked the way that Foligno competed in Saturday's scrimmage. He remarked about how he appreciates Foligno's size, speed, and brawn. Veterans Foligno and Kaleta are standing out right now while Deslauriers has been just adequate. Deslauriuers may want to up his game as the peer pressure is on an poppin' right now.
Kaleta is on a call up right now. He doesn't want to be sent down to Rochester.
As a matter of survival, Kaleta is giving the Sabres everything he has right now. He wants to stay and play for Bylsma. Right now, it's advantage Kaleta.
Kaleta told me two summers ago that while rehabbing from his ACL surgery, that he began to read the novel Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. Its the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. The reader cheers for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite having to oversome huge obstacles in his life. Zamperini was a survivor. So too is Patrick Kaleta.
Thanks, Sabres.com