Sabres suspend Klesla for not reporting to AHL

The Buffalo Sabres have suspended newly acquired defenceman Rostislav Klesla (pictured left playing for the Phoenix Coyotes) for failing to report to the team's AHL affiliate in Rochester. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres have suspended newly acquired defenceman Rostislav Klesla for failing to report to the team’s AHL affiliate in Rochester.

The Sabres announced the move Sunday, a day after Klesla told Canadian broadcaster TSN that he intended to not finish the NHL season, and instead planned to continue his career in Europe.

Buffalo acquired Klesla and goalie Michal Neuvirth in a trade Wednesday that sent goalie Jaroslav Halak and a third-round draft pick to Washington. The Capitals had acquired Klesla a day earlier in a trade with Phoenix.

At the time of the trade to Washington, Klesla had been playing for the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Portland, Maine. From the Czech Republic, Klesla has 159 points in 659 games split over 13 NHL seasons.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.