Confirmed with Link: Sabres acquire 20th pick in the 2026 draft from SJS for Kesselring + 27

[SnuggaRUDE]

I think that's driving a lot of this. Teams are making moves before the market dries up. Early movers might lose out, but at least you got your deal done and can put your attention on other items. Sometimes execution, even if imperfect, is the better option than waiting for the best possible moment.

Tall RHD who can skate are the Cardi B Featuring Megan Thee Stallion of Hockey: that market has never dried up.

 

[Ace]

Anyone upset over Kesselring has to do it while ignoring one kind of fact or another.

“He could have turned it around!” …. And walked in free agency if he did since the best case realistic scenario was singing his QO to take him to UFA.

“It’s because we didn’t play him.” … He couldn’t beat out anyone for a spot. When Lindy literally tried gifting him one in the playoffs….he lasted four bad minutes.

“He should have had more value” …. What value should the guy beat out by an undrafted rookie, Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn have, exactly? People are quick to tell you how much they hate a couple of those players and refuse to acknowledge he was BEHIND them for a reason.

“I wish we wouldn’t have given up those medium and lower level assets for other guys if they’re all going to be gone now” …. Blame Kesselring for being unplayable. If he could have managed to be their sixth best option they wouldn’t have had to. He couldn’t.

“We could have signed him cheap and rehabbed him” …. Why in the world would he do that? He earned his way to Lindy’s doghouse and can be a UFA in a year. Being trapped here…guy would never have a shot at signing a decent contract in the league. Zero chance he was signing here this offseason to this mythical team friendly deal. What does team friendly for your #7 D before you even make off-season additions look like anyway? Because he isn’t playing above Timmins or Metsa at this point.

I get it. You wanted Kesselring to work and be an answer. We’ve known since pretty much the moment he took the ice that he wasn’t. That’s a lot of months to just ignore the truth and embrace the fantasy.

He was Jacob Bryson here. Finally a GM who doesn’t need to commit to that for the better part of a goddamned decade.

 

[Sabreality]

Wouldn't using a "2nd" on Kesselring for the season and letting him walk be better value than 2nd+Rosen for Stanley's ~30 games?

Jarmo in Columbus never sparked confidence in me; and frankly that ship isn't being turn around right now either.

If this is all to spend an extra week on vacation via bypassing Arbitration I respect the game.

if SJ was gonna be on the table anyways, it should've been Kess & 2nd for Ferraro over Stanley, but I digress...

 

[BFLO]

Meh?

Farewell “kesser-ling” we hardly knew ye

 

[Jetskiis]

Wouldn't using a "2nd" on Kesselring for the season and letting him walk be better value than 2nd+Rosen for Stanley's ~30 games?

Jarmo in Columbus never sparked confidence in me; and frankly that ship isn't being turn around right now either.

the one thing Jarmo has always been good at is recognizing when a team is ready to go and he loads up no fear balls to the wall. He goes big or goes home. After ending a 14 year playoff drought idc, we've been home, I'm ready to go big. Too many people on here are shellshocked depressed hand wringing sabres fans that default to "everything is horrible the sky is falling." Nobody here thought that Rosen was going to be a big deal and if he turns into one, idc. We did nothing but collect assets and win every trade for a decade and look where that got us. I want to win, I dont care how they do it.

 

[billsandsabres]

don't have a strong feeling on the trade or trade value.

what i will say is that when kesselring and doan were traded to buffalo, they were both extremely positive and seemed genuinely excited in their interviews, despite the fact that at that point the sabres had been an abject disaster. so respect to kesselring for that. disappointed it didn't work out.

also i suspect kesselring may have asked for a trade so jarmo dealt him before things got ugly/public and his value really tanked.

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

Why????

 

[Paxon]

I'm just glad I don't have to convince myself that he will play well and into Ruff's good graces next season.

 

[dickiedunnwrotethis]

What a profoundly stupid trade. What the f*** is the difference between 20th and 27th? This is going to blow up in our faces hard unless there's another move coming that required a higher pick.

This is the Jarmo I feared.

 

[Zman5778]

We did nothing but collect assets and win every trade for a decade and look where that got us.

Adams and Botterill made a few good trades......but holy fricking cow. We in no way shape or form "won every trade for a decade". Not even remotely close.

 

[Hasekperreault23]

Nothing like trading an asset that has potential at its lowest possible value.

I can only guess it was a personality clash then and wasn't wanted on the team.

I don't like the trade because I thought Kesselring healthy should get a fresh start to earn Ruffs trust.However I think Ruff told Jarmo to move him he wasn't getting a shit in Buffalo

 

[Chainshot]

Kesselring only moved them up 7 slots? I would have thought he was worth more than that.

That's mid 2nd round value.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

the one thing Jarmo has always been good at is recognizing when a team is ready to go and he loads up no fear balls to the wall. He goes big or goes home. After ending a 14 year playoff drought idc, we've been home, I'm ready to go big. Too many people on here are shellshocked depressed hand wringing sabres fans that default to "everything is horrible the sky is falling." Nobody here thought that Rosen was going to be a big deal and if he turns into one, idc. We did nothing but collect assets and win every trade for a decade and look where that got us. I want to win, I dont care how they do it.

Jarmo went big for a single first round playoff win and then went home.

 

[Jetskiis]

Jarmo went big for a single first round playoff win and then went home.

better than we've managed for 14 years.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I don’t get any of the complaints. He had no fit here. It could not be more clear they had no interest in playing him.

And they got what they could get for him. I doubt he had any more value than this.

 

[Hasekperreault23]

If Ruff had told Jarmo "I'm not playing him" or had zero confidence than Kess could play the way he wanted.......Jarmo pretty much had to move him.

We're entering a season where every dollar is going to matter. If Ruff thinks that Metsa or Johnson as the 3rd pairing guy next to Timmins would play as good or better than Kesselring.....save the $1M and trade Kesselring.

I just don't see why we make the move NOW. This feels like a move that could (should?) be made closer to the draft.

Agree with this.I have no problem with the move or value.If Ruff was never going to give him I shit then move him.But why now???

 

[5 Minute Major]

So, by this logic, every player who has a bad year should be kept because maybe they will be better next year?

Kesselring was always a project player. he was a bottom pair d-man in Utah who played well in some spot duty due to injuries. Some underlying numbers suggested he could be more.

He wasn't here. He's behind Dahlin, Byram, Power, Samuellson, and Timmins on the depth chart (and probably Metsa)

Adams took a shot that he'd be their #4 and samuelsson could anchor the bottom pair. Samuelsson had a great year and pushed Byram/Power down to the #4. Kesselring had some bad luck. Sometimes players simply don't work for teams beyond the players or the teams control.

Glad to get back some value.

Kesselring nad a tough year with injuries. He was thought of as a top 4 defenseman when we traded for him.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Jarmo went big for a single first round playoff win and then went home.

We didn’t even trade a first at a rental. As far as buyers, we absolutely did not go big at the deadline…

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Paul Hamilton Analyzes the Sabres Trading Michael Kesselring​

 

[Dirty Dog]

Kesselring nad a tough year with injuries. He was thought of as a top 4 defenseman when we traded for him.

I don’t think it could more more evident they don’t see him as a top four d on this team. I don’t think it could more evident they don’t see him as a bottom pairing D either! Ruff didn’t like playing him, pretty clear.

Maybe they are wrong, but that’s how they see him

 

[Djp]

What a profoundly stupid trade. What the f*** is the difference between 20th and 27th? This is going to blow up in our faces hard unless there's another move coming that required a higher pick.

Actually there is statistically speaking a huge difference over the differences in players picked 19-21 vs 26-28.

I don’t know the rating details of this particular draft like if only the top 23 have 1st round grades thrn the talent drops a lot.

 

[Djp]

Adams and Botterill made a few good trades......but holy fricking cow. We in no way shape or form "won every trade for a decade". Not even remotely close.

It’s also a lot different if you are buyers vs sellers.

 

[Dirty Dog]

He was what, behind Dahlin, Byram, Timmins, Metsa, Stanley, Luke freaking Schenn? They did not like him, period.

 

[Jetskiis]

Adams and Botterill made a few good trades......but holy fricking cow. We in no way shape or form "won every trade for a decade". Not even remotely close.

I did not mean that literally, more the mindset of everyone around here was to "win every trade" and it appears to still be that way for some people. We're buyers not sellers, we're not going to win all the trades. People getting this worked up over trading a 3rd pairing defenseman that couldnt beat out the ghost of luke schenn, just wait til a big deal comes.

 

[truthbluth]

Metsa is #5 ainec