San Jose Betting $13.5 Million on a Defenseman Who Played 34 Games Last Season

The San Jose Sharks just handed Michael Kesselring a three-year deal worth $13.5 million. That’s a $4.5 million average annual value for a guy who played only 34 games last season and managed two assists. The contract covers one restricted free agent year and two unrestricted years, with zero trade protection, according to PuckPedia.

This all goes back to a draft-day trade less than two weeks ago. The Sharks sent the 20th overall pick to Buffalo and got back Kesselring plus the 27th pick. The Sabres used No. 20 to take forward Ilia Morozov. San Jose then packaged the 27th pick to move up and grab defenseman Ryan Lin at No. 21.

Kesselring’s 2025-26 season with the Sabres was a mess. Injuries piled up, including a chronic knee issue and multiple ankle sprains. He averaged 13:24 of ice time and finished with a zero plus-minus rating. During Buffalo’s playoff run, he was a healthy scratch for most of it after never locking down a regular role under Lindy Ruff.

But here’s why the Sharks are taking the gamble. Two years ago with the Arizona Coyotes, Kesselring looked like a legit top-four defenseman. He put up six goals and 21 points in 65 games during 2023-24, with a plus-11 rating and nearly 16 minutes a night. Then he followed that up in Utah by playing all 82 games in 2024-25, posting career highs across the board with seven goals, 22 assists, and 29 points while averaging 17:41 per game. Over his time with Arizona and Utah, he totaled 53 points in 156 games.

Kesselring was a sixth-round pick by Edmonton in 2018 and never suited up for the Oilers. He got traded to Arizona at the 2023 deadline. Utah flipped him and Josh Doan to Buffalo for JJ Peterka in the summer of 2025.

San Jose’s blue line right now includes Dmitry Orlov, Sam Dickinson, Luca Cagnoni, and Nolan Allan. They also added Keaton Verhoeff at ninth overall and Ryan Lin at 21st overall in this year’s draft. So Kesselring isn’t walking into some barren depth chart. The Sharks are betting he can get back to being the guy who looked like a steal two seasons ago rather than the guy who couldn’t stay on the ice last year.