Buffalo Sabres agree to re-sign gritty forward Patrick Kaleta to multiyear contract

Buffalo Sabres' Patrick Kaleta (36) passes under pressure from Montreal Canadiens' Lars Eller (81) of Denmark during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, March 12, 2012. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

Patrick Kaleta cashed in on his pesky role with the Buffalo Sabres by agreeing to a three-year, $3.825 million contract with the team on Tuesday.

A person familiar with the contract provided the terms of the deal to The Associated Press shortly after the Sabres announced the agreement had been reached on Tuesday. Kaleta is set to make $1.275 million each season, according to the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team had not disclosed the numbers.

That means Kaleta earned a $300,000 raise over what he made last season.

Kaleta was a restricted free agent, whose rights were retained by the Sabres in June when they extended him a qualifying offer.

From nearby Angola, N.Y., Kaleta has played four full seasons with the Sabres after being selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2004 draft. He had five goals and 10 points, and a career-high 116 penalty minutes in 63 games last season.

Overall, Kaleta has 50 points (26 goals) and 434 penalty minutes in 267 career NHL games.

The Sabres have focused on adding grit this off-season to a high-priced team that underachieved last year by missing the playoffs. Buffalo's already added forward Steve Ott in a trade that sent centre Derek Roy to Dallas in early July.

Buffalo has yet to re-sign playmaking centre Tyler Ennis, who is also a restricted free agent.