Michael Kesselring is on the move again. The San Jose Sharks acquired the 26-year-old defenseman and the Sabres’ first-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft for the No. 20 overall pick, giving Buffalo a seven-spot jump while San Jose added help to a defense corps that has been one of its weaknesses.
The price came down to draft position and a player with a narrow recent sample. Kesselring played only 34 regular-season games, finished with two assists and 50 penalty minutes, and averaged 13:24 of ice time. He also appeared in only one playoff game.
Kesselring’s Sabres run
Buffalo got Kesselring and Josh Doan from the Utah Mammoth last summer in the deal for JJ Peterka, and Kesselring had looked like a major piece of that swap after a strong previous season. His year never settled in the same way. During training camp, he skated next to Owen Power at times, but a knee injury cost him the start of the season and a high-ankle sprain lingered for months after that.
By the time he was healthy, he had dropped into bottom-pair minutes. That left Buffalo with a 26-year-old restricted free agent whose role never matched the early expectations attached to his arrival.
Sharks add blue-line help
San Jose addressed a clear need by bringing in Kesselring, whose size and usage give the Sharks another option on the back end. The club also added the Sabres’ 2026 first-round pick, which climbs from No. 27 to No. 20. Buffalo’s move up seven spots does not carry the weight of a franchise-shifting swing, but it still gives the Sabres a better draft slot late in the first round.
For San Jose, the transaction pairs a roster addition with a future asset. For Buffalo, it turns one defenseman and a later first-round slot into a higher pick in 2026, a trade-off that keeps the organization active in a draft range where small gains can still shape the board.
Buffalo’s 2026 draft position
The Sabres now own the No. 20 pick after sending out No. 27, a seven-spot climb in the first round. That is the immediate change for Buffalo, and it comes after the club had already reshaped part of the same player tree by sending Peterka to Utah last summer and then watching Kesselring’s role shrink once injuries and reduced minutes took hold.
