The San Jose Sharks acquired Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring and the Sabres’ first-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft for the Sharks’ No. 20 pick.

The trade for the Sabres is a move up seven spots from the No. 27 selection. For the Sharks, the deal addresses a defense corps that is one of the deficiencies for a team led by burgeoning superstar Macklin Celebrini that improved by 34 points over an NHL-basement finish in 2024-25.

“Michael has a big frame with solid two-way ability,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “He is a responsible player in the defensive zone with a well-rounded offensive game and will be a good upgrade for us patrolling the blueline. We’re happy to have him a part of the organization.”

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Last summer, the Sabres acquired the 26-year-old Kesselring and Josh Doan from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for JJ Peterka. At the time, after breaking out with Utah the season before, Kesselring looked like a major part of that trade as a young, right-handed defenseman with the potential to play in the top four. While Doan leveled up into an important middle-six performer for the Atlantic Division champion Sabres, Kesselring managed just two assists and had 50 penalty minutes while averaging only 13:24 of ice time.

Kesselring played next to Owen Power at times during training camp, but he injured his knee and missed the start of the season. Then he came back and sustained a high-ankle sprain that nagged him for months. By the time he was healthy, Kesselring had been relegated to bottom-pair minutes. The emergence of Zach Metsa and the Sabres’ acquisitions of Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn pushed Kesselring further down the pecking order. He played in only 34 games during the regular season and appeared in only one playoff game.

Kesselring was not thrilled with his usage down the stretch. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen expressed faith in Kesselring at the end of the season, but this trade doesn’t represent a ton of value for Buffalo. Kesselring is a restricted free agent, so that is part of the equation, but he wasn’t going to get much of a raise. Moving up seven spots in the draft late in the first round isn’t a major needle-mover. The Sabres’ internal draft value chart values moving up from 27 to 20 as a mid-second-round pick.

This is, however, the first move in what should be an eventful offseason for the Sabres. Kesselring’s departure could indicate that the Sabres have confidence they can lock up Bowen Byram to a long-term extension. He has one year left on his contract. The Sabres also have a lot of right-handed defensemen in their prospect pool, including 2025 first-round pick Radim Mrtka, so they should be well-positioned at that spot long term.

And Buffalo’s Peterka trade still worked out. Doan has a breakout season, signed a long-term extension and developed into an emerging leader in the Sabres’ dressing room.

This could be the fresh start that Kesselring needs as he’ll join a Sharks club that allowed the third-most goals with 292 despite improving their record to 39-35-8 and flirting with Stanley Cup playoff contention through the second half of the season. Kesselring immediately addresses the right side of San Jose’s defense. Luca Cagnoni and Eric Pohlkamp will be ones to watch in Sharks training camp as prospects to make the club, but Grier’s trade on Wednesday signals his intent to bring in proven bodies as upgrades. The Sharks could also be a factor in free agency, where right-shot blueliners Darren Raddysh, Rasmus Andersson and Jacob Trouba could be atop the defense market.

A sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2018, Kesselring began to emerge in 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes before the franchise moved to Salt Lake City. The Sharks will need to sign the defenseman, who can become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. Kesselring carried a $1.4 million salary cap number for the Sabres.