Film review | Sabres bolster blue line with Kesselring’s well-rounded game

The Buffalo Sabres addressed a key roster need with Thursday’s addition of right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring.

Kesselring, acquired from the Utah Mammoth alongside forward Josh Doan in exchange for JJ Peterka, emerged as a standout contributor during the inaugural season in Utah – his second full NHL campaign.

• Read: Sabres acquire Kesselring and Doan from Utah

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Kesselring played all 82 games, averaged 17:41 of ice time and recorded 29 points (7+22) with a plus-four rating. Kesselring’s versatility, skating ability and physicality, plus one of the league’s fastest shots, will make him a massive piece of the Sabres’ defense corps going forward.

Here’s a breakdown (with highlights) of Kesselring’s impact during his breakout 2024-25 season.

Versatility

Kesselring filled a variety of roles during his age-25 season. Early on, he played massive minutes while Utah’s blue line dealt with injuries to John Marino and Sean Durzi, among others; through January, he ranked third on the team in total ice time. With reduced minutes later in the year, Kesselring found other ways to impact the game (more on that below).

And he generated results with a range of defense partners, skating most of his 5-on-5 minutes with Ian Cole (701:28) and Mikhail Sergachev (206:34). When Kesselring was paired with Cole, a stay-at-home veteran, Utah outscored its opponents 27-21 and controlled 54 percent of shot attempts – plus 58 percent of high-danger scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick.

Paired with the offensively gifted, up-in-the-play Sergachev, meanwhile, Kesselring took a more defensive posture but still enjoyed success: an even goal differential, 61 percent of shot attempts and 58 percent of high-danger chances.

So, where does he fit on the Sabres? Those 2024-25 numbers suggest Kesselring could thrive alongside Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson or any of the team’s left-shot defensemen, making him an asset for Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff.

Offense

Kesselring’s flashiest skill is probably his shot. Here, he (No. 7) rings the iron with a 103.8 mph one-timer, the third-fastest shot in the NHL this past season, per NHL EDGE; first on the leaderboard was Tage Thompson’s 106 mph blast.

And here’s his second of seven goals in 2024-25, an overtime snipe versus Boston on Oct. 19 – the third game winner of his career.

Lethal as Kesselring’s shot can be, though, he’s not just a blast-it-from-the-blue-line scorer. His propensity for jumping into the play frequently generated quality chances for Utah and, in this third period Nov. 13 versus Carolina, a pair of assists.

Skating ability

Kesselring’s knack for carrying the puck deep into the offensive zone – without forgetting his defensive responsibilities at the other end – stems from his skating speed.

NHL EDGE credits him with 115 speed bursts over 20 mph, which ranked in the 96th percentile among NHL defensemen. And his top skating speed (22.29 mph) ranked in the 74th percentile. By these metrics, Kesselring becomes the Sabres’ fastest defenseman.

Physicality

Sabres fans might remember Kesselring from his Gordie Howe hat trick Dec. 7 at KeyBank Center: a game-tying goal, an assist and a fight against Beck Malenstyn. That was one of his five bouts this past season.

Here, Feb. 6 at Columbus, Kesselring steps up with a booming check on Jordan Harris and, forced to answer for it, fights Damon Severson.

Utah tended to rally around Kesselring’s physical play. Trailing Toronto 3-0 on home ice March 10, the Hockey Club needed a spark. Kesselring, who admitted postgame he was eager to make an impact while playing reduced minutes, dropped the gloves with Simon Benoit immediately following the Toronto defenseman’s goal. Utah proceeded to score three unanswered goals that period and earned a much-needed standings point.

Here’s what captain Clayton Keller told the Salt Lake Tribune postgame: “Kess got us going there with the fight – that was awesome for us, really elevated us. He’s been unbelievable. … He’s such a skilled player, he’s big, he can skate. He wants to make plays, he’s always joining the rush, he’s got a bomb. We’re really lucky to have him.”