On Rostislav Klesla and walking away

It appears that several trips to and from the American Hockey League, a concussion, a run of lower body injuries, and being traded twice in one week is enough for Rositslav Klesla. The 31-year old defenseman has elected to walk away from the NHL, at least for now, rather than report to the Buffalo Sabres. The former No. 4 overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000) bounced between the Phoenix Coyotes and its AHL affiliate Portland a handful of times this season, before landing in Washington in a trade that sent Martin Erat to Arizona. He was then shipped to Buffalo in a deadline day deal along with Michal Neuvirth in exchange for Jaroslav Halak and a draft pick. Klesla informed the Sabres that he was heading to Europe to continue his playing career.

via TSN.ca:

"With all due respect to the Sabres organization, I decided this week not to continue playing hockey this season. It has been a tough year for injury and moving several times to new teams,” Klesla said in a statement. 

“I will now take some time off and get ready to continue my career in Europe. I would like to thank my fans and all the people that have helped me. I am grateful for the career I have had in the NHL and all the people that I have met along the way who have supported me and my family."

It’s an intriguing decision on Klesla’s part, to say the least. The 6-foot-3 Czech defenseman was in the final year of a four-year deal that paid him $2.975 million annually. Perhaps Klesla saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and realized that his days of earning nearly $3 million in the NHL and drawing a regular shift were coming to a close. Buffalo probably presented the most favorable situation for Klesla, at least in terms of playing time, but the uncertainty of what lied ahead was enough for him to pull the plug on a decent, if not disappointing, North American career.

Klesla's decision to leave rather than take his chances with a rebuilding Buffalo team is admirable, even if it's not so advantageous to the Sabres. He is hardly the first player to entertain retirement or spurning his new club over reporting, but represents the rare example to actually follow through on the notion. 

It's a different situation than that of a player like Jeff Carter, who practically went AWOL for a short time after learning he had been dealt to Columbus from Philadelphia back in the summer of 2011. Carter eventually reported, and played (although rather reluctantly) until he was traded again to Los Angeles. Like Paul Coffey in a Hartford Whalers jersey; it was a brief stint, but it happened. It's not really a comparable scenario to Craig Janney's infamous refusal to report to the Vancouver Canucks after he was deemed compensation for the St. Louis Blues' Petr Nedved signing in 1994 either. Janney was in the prime of his career, unlike Klesla, who was at a crossroads in his own. The Blues eventually reacquired Janney's rights from the Canucks in exchange for Jeff Brown, Bret Hedican, and Nathan LaFayette. Pouting paid off for Janney. 

As theScore's Justin Bourne has written a great deal about, a trade is more than just players changing places. It uproots families, and can work like a detonation device of sorts for any sense of familiarity. What you knew is gone, and what lies ahead is unknown. For some, like Klesla, that uncertainty is enough to throw in the towel. 

It's that uncertainty and unknowing that almost led Dave Poulin to hang up his skates after learning he had been dealt. The Philadelphia Flyers traded Poulin to the Boston Bruins in 1990. Poulin had been a key piece to the great Flyers teams of the 1980s that might have won a Stanley Cup or two had it not been for the Edmonton Oilers. At 31, Poulin had a brush with injuries and wasn't scoring as consistently as he once had. The Flyers were the only team Poulin knew as a professional hockey player. He had served as the team's captain. Like Klesla, Poulin was faced with uncertainty. He was in the final year of a his contract, with an option remaining. He initially considered retirement over reporting to Boston. He eventually joined the Bruins, with a contract extension in hand. Poulin went on to play five more seasons in the NHL with Boston and the Washington Capitals. 

Unlike Poulin, Klesla found himself in a situation where his services weren't necessarily a part of anyone's long-term plans. Klesla could have played it out, maybe have earned a spot in one of the Sabres defensive pairings, or he could have continued to rot in the minors the rest of the way. 

Rostislav Klesla chose family and the familiarity of home. It's what he considers best for himself, and at this point in his career maybe that's all that should matter.