BUFFALO – When the Sabres acquired defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley last week before the trade deadline, Michael Kesselring knew what was about to happen.
Kesselring, 26, has endured a difficult season after arriving in an offseason trade, battling injuries from the get-go and struggling to find a groove.
Adding two established talents to one of the NHL’s deepest blue lines meant he would likely be pushed out of the lineup.
“Once we made the trades, I knew I’ve had a tough year, and it was gonna be a rotation, and I was probably gonna be in it,” Kesselring told the Times Herald following Friday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter.
Kesselring could be scratched for the second straight game Saturday when the Sabres host the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center. Schenn, a right-handed shot like Kesselring, replaced him for Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.
“I mean, do I agree with it? I don’t really agree with it, to be honest with you, but it is what it is,” Kesselring said of sitting out. “So I’ll try to do what I can to get better.”
If Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who’s questionable for Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury, can’t play, rookie Zach Metsa might slide back into the lineup.
Metsa, a scratch since Stanley made his debut Tuesday, practiced Friday alongside captain and No. 1 defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Kesselring spent the session skating with center Josh Dunne, a sign he will likely sit out another game.
Kesserling, of course, arrived with big expectations last summer after the Sabres pried him away from the Utah Mammoth in the deal that sent winger JJ Peterka to Salt Lake City and also landed Buffalo winger Josh Doan.
Doan has enjoyed a breakout season, scoring 21 goals and earning a seven-year, $48.75 million contract extension.
Meanwhile, since training camp, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Kesselring has battled a knee injury and a high ankle sprain he re-injured.
He has said the knee injury will nag him all season.
Fresh off a seven-goal, 29-point campaign in Utah, he has mustered zero goals and two assists in just 32 outings this season. He hasn’t played more than 14 consecutive games.
Through all the setbacks – incredibly, Kesselring has said he had never been injured before this season – he has showcased some improvement. He said his ankle feels strong enough he can confidently skate into the corners and away from opponents.
“I thought I was starting to find my game a little bit,” he said.
Still, Schenn, an 18-year veteran, has possibly taken over his spot on the third defense pair.
“He’s got his game in a better place,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Kesselring. “We know what he can offer. I think what we saw from Schenn last night was real good. Made a couple great puck plays, defended really hard. I think he handled all the situations pretty well.
“So we know we have options, and Kess, he’s one of those options right now.”
Kesselring said Ruff has “been very open about what he wants from me.”
“All that’s good,” he said. “It’s just doing what he wants a little bit more.”
What exactly does Ruff want?
“Just defensively, closing a little quicker has been the big thing with me,” he said. “I think at the start of the year, to be honest, I got burned a few times when I wasn’t really moving that well, right? And I think it kind of messed with my confidence and mentality a little bit.”
Kesselring feels the worst is behind him – “It’s been a lot for me this year,” he acknowledged – and in the long run, the adversity he has faced will help him.
“I’m very confident in my future,” he said. “I’m not really too worried. It’s a battle. It’s they’re gonna go with the best guys for playoffs, so just do what I can to hopefully be in that lineup.”
As the Sabres have recently added reinforcements and injured players have returned, Ruff has been forced to scratch players like Kesselring, Metsa, Dunne and center Tyson Kozak.
Ruff said it’s difficult to sit out guys who have played key roles in helping the Sabres climb up the standings.
“This is the group that got us there, and I still have a lot of time for the guys, from Kozy to Dunner to Kess to Mets,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of time, and I’ve got a lot of admiration for how much time they put in to help make us a better team.”