PITTSBURGH -- It was March 4 in Philadelphia when Dmitri Kalinin's eight-year run with the Sabres came to an end. He was skating laps around Wachovia Center, and coach Lindy Ruff was in his face screaming, "Show some [expletive] passion!" Sure, the mistake-prone defenseman likely deserved it, but with unrestricted free agency coming up, why would he go through it again?
Agent Jay Grossman said by phone last week he had not had one discussion with the Sabres, who reportedly aren't interested in Kalinin, either. It was clearly time to split ways, something that's been obvious for sometime. The 1998 first-round pick can start anew elsewhere. Hopefully, the quiet and gracious guy can live up to his potential there.
Now it's off to the Penguins' dressing room as they try to avoid elimination again. Hopefully, Game Six of the Stanley Cup finals is just as exciting as Game Five.
---John Vogl
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