The Boston Bruins have clear needs entering the 2026 offseason, headlined by adding to the right side of their defense.
The Bruins played Mason Lohrei on his off-side for most of the 2025-26 season, with Jonathan Aspirot supplanting his initial opening spot on the left side.
Aspirot then surged ahead and took over the top-pairing spot next to Charlie McAvoy.
Elsewhere, Lohrei would not be able to take away a spot from either of Nikita Zadorov or Hampus Lindholm.
Instead, Lohrei found a home on the right side, playing with Lindholm. However, when push came to shove in the playoffs, Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm scratched Lohrei for Games 4, 5, and 6 to end the season.
The Bruins pushed hard for a right-shot defenseman, most notably Rasmus Andersson before Andersson reportedly chose the Vegas Golden Knights as his preferred trade destination.
While Boston's been linked again to Andersson as a potential free agent and Darren Raddysh, they could also go for cheaper and younger bets.
Look no further than the Buffalo Sabres as a team with defensemen to deal, with the best possible fit for Boston being the 6'5 Michael Kesselring.
Kesselring, 26, played just 34 regular-season games and only one playoff game for the Sabres this past season. Kesselring played just over four minutes in Game 6, scarcely seeing the ice.
He is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights after concluding the second season of a two-year deal worth $1.4 million annually.
The Bruins could use what Kesselring brings to the table, namely, firing the puck often to create offense, totaling 46 shots on goal during the regular season, nearly a shot-and-a-half per game.
Before Kesselring's lone season in Buffalo, he played all 82 games for the Utah Mammoth. There, he posted seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points, all career highs.
The Bruins won't be alone in their potential pursuit of Kesselring. The New York Islanders are among the teams that could have interest in the defender.
The cost of acquisition, at least initially, shouldn't seem to be too high. Despite Buffalo publicly backing him, the consistent scratching speaks volumes about how they value the player.
The Bruins could afford to offer up a second-round pick, and then easily recoup that value by flipping Lohrei, or using him in a bigger package.
The Bruins have plenty of options this summer. Kesselring could be a great buy-low candidate.