The Buffalo Sabres got involved in the post-Stanley Cup trade market, sending blueliner Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks, along with their first round pick (27th overall) for the 20th pick overall, acquired by the Sharks in the deal with Edmonton for defenseman Jake Walman in March, 2025. The 26-year-old defenseman was the main piece acquired in the deal with Utah last June that sent restricted free agent JJ Peterka to the Mammoth, but the Sabres were fortunate that the trade also included young winger Josh Doan. Former Sabres GM Kevyn Adams indicated that big righty, coming off a career-high 29 point season and an impressive performance at the World Championships, would likely be a fit on one of the top two pairings for the Sabres. Other Sabres Stories Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-emotionally-devastated-by-game-7-loss-to-montreal] That did not come to fruition, as Kesselring suffered a lower-body injury in training camp, returned in late October, and admittedly was still hampered and returned too early. After missing a month, he returned to the lineup, but injury and the fact that Mattias Samuelsson was having a career year playing alongside Rasmus Dahlin and that other blueliners (Conor Timmins, Zach Metsa) played well kept the big blueliner as a part-time player for the rest of the season. The Michael Kesselring trade The Sabres acquisition of Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley from Winnipeg at the trade deadline relegated Kesselring further down the depth chart, which was reflected in his playing only 4:25 in his only playoff game against Boston. GM Jarmo Kekalainen faces a difficult task this summer with just under $13 million in available cap space, and RFA’s Peyton Krebs and Zach Benson to sign, so Buffalo could not afford to re-sign Kesselring, who is one year away from unrestricted free agency, and looking for more of an opportunity to play. According to Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7370865/2026/06/18/nhl-free-agency-kane-bobrovsky-cassidy/], Kesselring asked for a change of scenery out of Buffalo after a tough year. In return, the Sabres moved up seven slots in the first round, not an insignificant move for the host club at next week’s draft, but whether it was to get higher in the first round for a particular player or to facilitate at trade is unknown at this point. Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo [https://twitter.com/MikeInBuffalo] THN.com/Free [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c1d71652-0630-4427-822a-5f6644976aa8.jpeg] THN.com/Free
