The 2026 NHL Offseason is officially underway, and for the Buffalo Sabres, arguably the most important matter of business for general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen is getting forward Alex Tuch signed to a new contract.
However, if the club can’t retain Tuch because of his high asking price, they’ll need to find an adequate replacement in order to best ensure their spectacular turnaround that resulted in their making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011 wasn’t an anomaly.
In the meantime, Kekäläinen has raised a few eyebrows among the Sabres fanbase by trading a promising young defenseman to the West Coast on Wednesday.
The Buffalo Sabres Have Traded A Young Defenseman To The San Jose Sharks
On Wednesday, the Sabres traded Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the San Jose Sharks, and in return, have received the 20th overall pick.
“The Buffalo Sabres have acquired a first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Michael Kesselring and a first-round pick (27th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft,” the Sabres PR account wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kesselring, 26, suited up for 34 games with Buffalo last season and registered two assists after making his Sabres debut on Oct. 28 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although injuries limited his availability throughout the year, he remained an important defensive presence, finishing third among Buffalo skaters with 5.00 blocked shots per 60 minutes.
He also suited up for the Sabres during just one of their games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Boston Bruins.
He was taken by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2018 NHL Draft with the 164th overall pick, but would later be traded to the Arizona Coyotes with a 2023 third-round pick for Nick Bjugstad and Cam Dineen. Last offseason, he was traded to the Sabres with Josh Doan in exchange for JJ Peterka.
Kesselring has played 190 career games split between the Coyotes (who relocated to Salt Lake City to become the Utah Mammoth), and Sabres. During that span, he’s scored 12 goals with 43 assists. His most productive campaign came during his second full NHL season with Utah, when he appeared in all 82 regular-season games and contributed seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points.
On the international stage, Kesselring has represented the United States in both the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships. In 17 total games, he had three goals with four assists. At the 2025 tournament, he was part of the American squad coached by Ryan Warsofsky that captured the country’s first World Championship gold medal in 92 years. The trade to San Jose reunited him with Warsofsky, who is currently the Sharks’ bench boss.
The Sabres Have Moved Up In The 2026 NHL Draft
The Sabres, who had their best season since in 19 years, landed the 27th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. However, thanks to their trade of Kesselring to the Sharks, they moved up seven spots and will now be selecting 20th overall.
The Draft will officially begin on June 26.
Sabres Surprise Fans, Trade Promising Young Defenseman To West Coast