Amerks' Kaleta expects to miss 'a month plus'

In hoping to prove he could help the Buffalo Sabres, Patrick Kaleta admits he did more harm than good to his body.

Kaleta aggravated a nagging injury three shifts into Thursday's preseason game in Minnesota and that means he probably won't be ready to play with the Rochester Americans until November.

The veteran winger had his training camp tryout with the Sabres terminated on Friday. He reported to the Amerks on Saturday but likely won't be able to practice this month.

"It will be probably be in the range of a month plus," he said Saturday morning.

Kaleta, 29, signed an American Hockey League contract with the Amerks on Sept. 12. Along with it came an invitation to attend the Sabres training camp, and he intended to show he deserved an NHL contract.

But he suffered an injury on the second day of practice, rushed to get back before the slate of preseason games came to an end and suffered another setback Thursday in the first period of his first game.

"With the circumstances I was in, I need to try to play," he said. "If it was a different situation (where an NHL contract was in place), I would have been smarter," he said.

Ever the battler, Kaleta said that's just who he is. Even though he spent much of the past two seasons on injured reserve, he still believes he can play in the NHL. That's why he pushed himself to ensure he was in the Sabres lineup Thursday.

"It was like a baseball player at the plate," he explained. "Are you going to take the third strike or are you going to swing at it?

"The good part is the confidence I have from how I felt the first part of camp. You'll see that when I get back."

Player notes: Defensemen Chad Ruhwedel and Jerome Leduc cleared waivers and officially joined the Amerks on Saturday.

Right winger Jason Akeson went on waivers at noon Saturday and he'll presumably join the Amerks if/when he clears at noon on Sunday.

KEVINO@gannett.com