Updated:
The Sabres have confirmed that Pat Kaleta has torn his ACL. He is lost for the rest of the season.
Injury update from @AmerksHockey: Patrick Kaleta suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will be out indefinitely.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 30, 2013Ted Nolan said earlier on Saturday afternoon that he and the Sabres were planning on recalling Kaleta from Rochester for their Thursday night game.
In seven games with the Amerks this season, Kaleta has recorded one goal and three assists.
The Sabres waived Kaleta after he was suspended for 10 games in early November, after he served out his suspension for his Rule 48 violation against Columbus Blue Jax D Jack Johnson.
Kaleta, 27, was injured Friday when the Rochester Americans played the Lake Erie Monsters. He crashed into Lake Erie Monsters goalie Calvin Pickard and his leg struck the crossbar as he flew ass over tea kettle. Kaleta had a goal and three assists in seven games with the Americans after being sent down by the Sabres on November 3rd.
In five games with the Sabres this season, Kaleta had no points and 5 PIMS.
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Dear Ryan Carter,
What the hell were you thinking? Driving you elbow into the moosh of Marcus Foligno, not once but twice?
Dude, didn't you get the memo that Foligno's right hand has the ability to put people to sleep more holistically than Ambien?
Foligno KO'd Carter with a right cross that dropped Carter like a bad habit. Carter suffered blunt force trauma and lacerations and skated immediately to the Devils room. Carter was done for the night. He didn't return to the game.
After the game, Devils head coach Peter DeBoer was asked about Carter's situation:
“I think he’s going to be all right,… coach Pete DeBoer said of Carter. “I don’t have an update yet.…
The Sabres lost the game 1-0 in OT.
Matters not. The Sabres have earned points in two straight games for the first time in the Ted Nolan Era.
Baby steps.
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Ted Nolan will not be tinkering with a winning lineup. Nolan will ice the same lineup tonight that he used to beat the Leafs on Friday night.
Mikhail Grigorenko and Brayden McNabb will sit out again.
Didn't Nolan say yesterday morning that Grigo and McNabb will skate against the Devils?
Jhonas Enroth will start in net for the Sabres
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Pat Kaleta's road to redemption to a turn for the worse on Friday.
Terrible news for the rambunctious Sabres winger who was playing so well in Rochester that he had earned himself a call-up to Buffalo. That's all on the back burner now.
Ted Nolan met with media in the 5pm hour this afternoon due to no gameday skate in Newark.
Nolan said that the Sabres were going to recall the recently waived Kaleta this week to play him in Buffalo. Kaleta suffered a serious injury to his right leg in Friday night's Rochester win vs. Lake Erie. Kaleta was injured when he collided with LEM the goalie, sending him catr-wheeling through the air. Kaleta slammed his knee or lower leg on the crossbar. He was helped from the ice by the team trainer and Kevin Porter. Kaleta could not apply his body weight to the injured leg. No update until Kaleta is further evaluated.
.
Regarding Patrick Kaleta, Nolan says #Sabres planned to call him up to play Thursday, but a long-term injury will prevent that.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 30, 2013______________________________________________________________________
For a multitude of reasons, the Winnipeg Jets have struggled to play a consistent brand of hockey this season. On some nights, their offense disappears altogether, while on other nights, their defense collapses. Their goaltending has been an area of concern, too.
The Jets have been scouting the Buffalo Sabres on a consistent basis this season. In October, I wondered if the Jets were interested in trading for former Sabres sniper Thomas Vanek to jump start their inconsistent offense. Made sense. Vanek is a UFA-to-be and is best friends with Jets winger Blake Wheeler. Vanek would have added instant credibility and scoring to the lackluster offense in Winnipeg. Vanek was eventually traded to the NY Islanders for Matt Moulson and a conditional first round draft choice (either 2014 or 2015). Did the Jets think that the asking price for Vanek was too high? It was interesting to me that Winnipeg dispatched a trio of scouts to Vanek's last game in Buffalo. The group included Mark Dobson (Jets director of pro scouting), Peter Ratchuk (Buffalo native and pro scout) and Pierre Groulx, who was let go in June from his goaltending coach position with the Montreal Canadiens. Groulx had served as Carey Price's position coach since 2009. Groulx previously worked for the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators. Why, if the Jets were interested in Vanek, would they send a goalie coach/scout to watch Vanek?
Vanek was traded to the Islanders on October 27. Still, the Jets continue to scout the Sabres in Buffalo. Why? Are the Jets eyeballing Ryan Miller? On Friday night, the Jets sent Groulx to Buffalo to watch the Sabres-Leafs game.
Are the Jets interested in upgrading their goaltending?
Their starter Ondrej Pavelec (26 years of age) is 9-10-3 with a 2.69 GAA and .916 save %.
Pavelec is a quality netminder, however, has yet to win 30 games in a season in the NHL.
Pavelec is in the second year of a five year $19.5 million contract ($3.9M AAV per season). He was a second round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2005.
Miller is in the final year of his contract and will be UFA in July 2014. Miller's contract was $6.25 million in October, however, its been reduced substantially by virtue of the 27 games that have been played this season.
Miller has a no movement clause in his current contract. He reserves the right to veto eight teams. Is Winnipeg one of the eight "don't go there" teams that Miller has submitted to the Sabres ?
There have been rumblings out of Winnipeg that their 22 year old power forward Evander Kane and head coach Claude Noel have not been seeing eye to eye for some time. Kane's cap hit is $5.25 million for this season and the next four seasons to come. Before last night's 3 goal explosions versus the Leafs, the Sabres had been scoring an NHL-low 1.5 goals per game. Not at all good enough to win games in the NHL. Were it not for Miller, the Sabres would be in far worse trouble. Kane scored 30 goals in 2011-12. His ceiling is very high.
Could a Miller for Kane (and second rounder) trade be in the works?
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