No NHL team is carrying more players on its active roster than the Buffalo Sabres (27), and that number could increase again if Jordan Greenway is cleared to return from a middle-body injury.
It's created an intense battle for ice time and some players, including Michael Kesselring, have been left on the outside looking in for awhile. The defenseman has been watching from the press box since a March 10 appearance against the San Jose Sharks.
Kesselring, who's dealt with a few different leg injuries dating all the way back to training camp, hasn't been at 100% during his first year in Buffalo. A chance to get healthier is the silver lining of his recent stint as a scratch.
"It's the best I've felt health-wise all year, getting better every day. So, I mean, just trying to use this time to keep getting in better shape and get my pop back," Kesselring told Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald. "… Honestly, I think it's been pretty good for me, and whenever the next opportunity comes, I'll be probably the most ready I've been all year."
It's amazing how quickly a narrative can change.
Nine months ago, Kesselring was viewed as a future stalwart on the Buffalo blue line and a likely long-term defense partner for Owen Power on the second pair.
He was coming off a breakthrough season with the Utah Mammoth that included a career-high 29 points, and his combination of size (6-foot-5) and skill made him the apparent cornerstone of the blockbuster JJ Peterka trade, which also featured Josh Doan joining the Sabres.
Instead, Kesselring has been unable to showcase top form because of the injuries and Doan has emerged as a rising star en route to signing a seven-year, $48.65 million contract extension.
It's even led to discussions about whether Buffalo may consider trading the 26-year-old American defender in the offseason, when he'll be a restricted free agent.
From Kesselring's perspective, he's just hoping for another chance to prove he deserves a spot in the Sabres' lineup when the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway next month.
"I'm kind of at the point where this year is what it is for me," Kesselring told Hoppe. "It's been terrible, so it can't be much worse. So whenever I get in, I'm going to play free, play my game and hopefully being loose like that will help me play better."
Alas, it's unclear whether that opportunity will arrive as the crowded Sabres roster features nine defensemen battling for six spots, and the top-four group (Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram and Mattias Samuelsson) is completely locked in barring injuries.
Buffalo Sabres should give Michael Kesselring another chance to prove himself in 2026-27
The Sabres, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, will have to make some difficult decisions this summer, especially if they want to keep impending unrestricted free agent Alex Tuch.
That's why trading Kesselring, who's struggled and will need a new contract, has started to enter the conversation among Sabres fans and observers.
It's a move that would come with considerable risk, though.
Quite simply, the Northeastern University product hasn't been able to showcase his talent level because of the injury-plagued year. He's understandably lacked explosiveness in his bottom half, and it's more noticeable because of Buffalo's up-tempo style of play.
Right-shot defensemen with his skill set are hard to find and, while his offensive contributions have been virtually nonexistent (two points in 32 games), his underlying numbers are quite strong.
Kesselring ranks second among full-time Sabres blueliners behind only captain Rasmus Dahlin in 5-on-5 expected goals for percentage (xGF%) at 51.95%, according to Natural Stat Trick. He's also been a little unlucky as the team's 7.95% shooting percentage when he's on the ice at 5-on-5 is the lowest among Buffalo defenders.
Those figures match the eye test. The 2018 sixth-round pick has still done a nice job of defensive positioning and awareness, as evidenced by his 38 blocked shots. He just isn't able to accelerate quickly when skating, which has limited his involvement in transition and on offense.
Giving him the summer to fully recover while signing him to a short-term extension — a one- or two-year deal that shouldn't be significantly higher than his current $1.4 million cap hit — feels like the right move for Kekalainen and Co.
All told, Kesselring is still capable of emerging as a key piece for the Sabres. Dealing him away after a season where his value dipped significantly could come back to haunt the team's front office.
He's too talented to trade him away for spare parts and/or middle-round draft picks.