After acquiring him in exchange for the 20th overall pick ahead of the draft, the San Jose Sharks have signed Michael Kesselring to a three-year, $13.5 million contract. Kesselring, a 26-year-old right-handed defenseman, is a promising and welcome addition to this team's young defensive core.
Although he recorded a mere two assists in 34 games with the Buffalo Sabres this past season, this is not reflective of the quality player that he is, especially considering he was sidelined by injury. As a reminder, Buffalo had traded JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Kesselring (and Josh Doan) the season before, and for good reason.
In his season with Utah, Kesselring notched 29 points (7G, 22A) in a full 82 game season. His large stature of 6 foot 4 inches coupled with his ability to open passing lanes with creative puck movement is encouraging to the Sharks’ young defensive core of Luca Cagnoni (21-years-old), Eric Pohlkamp (22-years-old), and Sam Dickinson (20-years-old).
Dickinson in particular is a player who needs help from an established defenseman to help further his development and confidence, and Kesselring seemingly can fill that role. At the end of last season we saw a glimpse of what Cagnoni’s confidence did for Dickinson’s, and the addition of Kesselring can help double that.
According to beat reporter, Max Miller, the Sharks was an organization Kesselring has had “circled to join for a few years now”. This excitement to join the club is reflected by Kesselring himself, who excitedly turned to Instagram to post his new contract saying he was “just getting started” and is excited for the bright future this organization has ahead.
Sharks fans can finally rejoice, knowing we’re at long last addressing the major concern of defense. Kesselring’s potential along with his unbridled excitement to join the team reflects positively on the ongoing development of this young group.
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