There's a report that Patrick Kaleta will appeal his 10-game suspension. This suspension was handed down Tuesday for his hit on Johnson and wasn't hurt. But Shanahan has already taken into account his status as a repeat offender when he shoved the Rangers' Brad Richards into the boards only 21 games ago back to last season. He got five games for it. It cost him $152,439 in lost money.
Commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the case and make a ruling. If Kaleta, however, is unsatisfied with the result, he can have a hearing before an arbitrator, who will determine "whether the final decision...violated the League Playing Rules and whether the length of the suspension imposed were supported by substantial evidence." Katela will still remain suspended during the appeals process.
If you remember at the beginning of the season, Coyotes tough guy Paul Bissonnette appealed his 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to join in on an altercation during the preseason. Video evidence showed that Bissonnette left on a legal line change, and Bettman gave him a three-game suspension instead.
I don't know if Kaleta has a case. I haven't entirely seen the video of Kaleta's hit on Johnson so I can't really say if it's fair or not. But since this is a hit that has attracted the attention of the league office, he's got to get a suspension. And because he is deemed a "repeat offender" I doubt he'll get lower than the five games he got last season. If Bettman were to agree with Kaleta, I think it's between 6-7. I doubt it'll be lower because of his history with the league. Either way, he will sit some games out and that's bad news for the Sabres going forward. At least they won their first game Tuesday night against the Islanders.
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