Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced defenseman Michael Kesselring will make his team debut Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets barring a late injury setback.
The Sabres acquired Kesselring as part of the blockbuster JJ Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth over the offseason. Josh Doan, who was the other half of the return package, is off to a tremendous start through nine games with the Blue and Gold.
Kesselring's arrival brought ample excitement because he's viewed as the long-term playing partner for 2021 first overall pick Owen Power, who's been saddled with an underwhelming group of defensemen on his pair over the past four years.
Now Power will receive a 25-year-old, 6-foot-6 partner who made significant strides over the last two seasons, including a career-high 29 points for Utah in 2024-25.
A defensive group of Bowen Byram-Rasmus Dahlin, Power-Kesselring and Mattias Samuelsson-Conor Timmins has the potential to become one of the NHL's best in the months ahead.
Kesselring isn't the only injured Sabres player getting closer to a return, though.
Jordan Greenway, Jacob Bryson should also rejoin the Buffalo Sabres roster soon
Ruff confirmed forward Jordan Greenway, who's yet to play this season while recovering from a July surgery, and defenseman Jacob Bryson, who was placed in the league's concussion protocol last week, are also getting close to playing in games. Both could be available this week.
Greenway should provide a boost to the Sabres' bottom six, though he's potentially facing a make-or-break campaign. He's coming off the latest in a long line of injury-plagued seasons, and even when he did play in 2024-25 he recorded just eight points in 34 games.
The 28-year-old winger has shown the ability to serve as a solid two-way forward for Buffalo — he was one of the team's best players in the early stages of last season — but the injuries and inconsistent play have severely limited his overall impact.
If Greenway struggles early, it's within the realm of possibility he's an odd man out when the Blue and Gold's lineup is at full strength.
Meanwhile, Bryson will likely regain his longstanding role as the Sabres' No. 7 defenseman. He was forced into the lineup five times already because of injuries to Power, Kesselring and Samuelsson.
Buffalo's fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft has never established himself as a full-time NHL talent, and that's unlikely to happen now in his late-20s, but he's fine as an injury replacement who can handle 15-20 appearances per campaign.
He'll take up residency in the press box until another injury strikes the Sabres defense corps.