BUFFALO – Long after most of his Sabres teammates had departed the dressing room Wednesday morning, a sweaty Michael Kesselring walked in and sat down on a plastic chair.
A surplus of healthy bodies – Kesselring is one of nine defensemen – has forced the Sabres to create a new dressing area in the middle of the room.
So Kesselring, having lost his spot on the arguably the NHL’s deepest blue line, doesn’t have a normal stall.
Two weeks ago, he began sitting out as a healthy scratch when deadline acquisitions Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley entered the lineup.
While Schenn played just two games, rookie Zach Metsa recently passed Kesselring on the depth chart, keeping him in the press box.
Kesselring, who has been hampered by knee and ankle injuries, has sat out seven straight games.
Still, he has found some positives in the most recent disappointment of his nightmare season.
“It’s the best I’ve felt health-wise all year, getting better every day,” Kesselring told the Times Herald prior to Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins in KeyBank Center. “So, I mean, just trying to use this time to keep getting in better shape and get my pop back. …
“Honestly, I think it’s been pretty good for me, and whenever the next opportunity comes, I’ll be probably the most ready I’ve been all year.”
Those injuries stymied Kesselring, the centerpiece of the offseason trade that sent winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth, from the get-go.
He hurt his knee in training camp and missed the first nine games. After playing nine times, he suffered a high ankle sprain he later re-injured.
Incredibly, before this season, he said he had never been hurt.
In 32 games, he has mustered zero goals and just two assists.
“I’m kind of at the point where this year is what it is for me,” Kesselring said. “It’s been terrible, so it can’t be much worse. So whenever I get in, I’m going to play free, play my game and hopefully being loose like that will help me play better.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff believes Kesselring, 26, hurt his game a bit earlier this season by pressing to create offense and make a strong impression.
“I don’t think you become or figure out really what type of D you are in this league until you get 200, 300 games into your career,” Ruff said. “You settle into who you are.”
Last season, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Kesselring established himself as an offensive threat, scoring seven goals and 29 points in 82 outings.
“I know everybody thought I was pressing offensively a little bit,” he said. “I mean, maybe a little bit I can see it. But honestly, I just like to play solid and play good.”
He said for a long time, those early-season injuries played in his head. So did the expectations that accompany being traded.
“Just a lot of stuff like when you’re out, like you see other guys playing good, you’re worried about losing your spot and stuff like that,” Kesselring said. “And then the trade and everything.”
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On Wednesday, 97 days after breaking his leg, Sabres defenseman Conor Timmins returned to the lineup.
Timmins, who missed 38 games, began practicing March 14.
Before going down Dec. 18, Timmins compiled six assists, 16 penalty minutes and a minus-11 rating in 33 games. He made his biggest contributions as a penalty killer.
“I was happy with my game,” Timmins said. “I think I was being an impact player and contributing.”
To make room for Timmins, the Sabres scratched Metsa.
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Carolina Matovac, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin’s fiancée, attended her first game this season.
Matovac experienced major heart failure and underwent a heart transplant last summer.
She received a loud ovation when the Sabres introduced her to the crowd.
Notes: Former Sabres coach Don Granato has been named coach of Team USA’s entry at the World Championship later this spring. … The Sabres also scratched Schenn, goalie Alex Lyon and forwards Josh Dunne, Tyson Kozak and Tanner Pearson. … Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who missed Tuesday’s practice because of illness, played. … Former Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt played his 500th NHL game.