BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jarmo Kekäläinen has made his first transaction of the offseason, trading defenseman Michael Kesselring and pick No. 27 in the 2026 NHL Draft to the San Jose Sharks for pick No. 20.A year ago, the Sabres acquired Kesselring and Josh Doan for winger JJ Peterka. At the time, Kesselring looked like a big piece of that deal. Right-handed defensemen are always at a premium in the NHL, and Kesselring was 25, coming off a 29-point season and a strong showing for Team USA at the World Championship.But this season didn’t go as Kesselring or the Sabres had hoped. After spending time in the team’s top four during training camp, Kesselring injured his knee and missed the start of the season. He came back earlier than he should have and then sustained a high-ankle sprain that he tried to come back from too soon. As a result, Kesselring never really got into a rhythm this season.By the time Kesselring was healthy, the Sabres’ blue line got a lot more crowded. Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Bowen Byram and Owen Power were locked in as the team’s top four, leaving no room for the role Kesselring thought he’d have a shot at. Even third-pair minutes were hard to come by late in the season. Zach Metsa came up from Rochester and played a simple, mistake-free game. Kekäläinen added Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn before the trade deadline, and both started to get games in front of Kesselring. Conor Timmins getting healthy crowded things even further, and Kesselring ended up getting just one game in the postseason.Top 5 prospects after the NHL Draft CombineCorey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and moreLate in the year, Kesselring was frustrated with the situation. He still believes he can be a top-four defenseman in the NHL, but he questioned how he fit in Buffalo. Lindy Ruff needed him to be a physical third-pair defenseman and play a simple game. Kesselring’s game is built on his skating and puck-moving ability. He felt Ruff wanted him to be something he’s not.