Michael Kesselring, Josh Doan thrilled for chance trade to Sabres offers

When defenseman Michael Kesselring recently played alongside Sabres winger Tage Thompson with Team USA at the World Championship, he joked KeyBank Center in Buffalo was his favorite NHL arena.

On Nov. 12, 2023 in Buffalo, Kesselring scored his first NHL goal for the Arizona Coyotes against, of all goalies, Devon Levi, his former college teammate at Northeastern.

“So I can give him a little more crap about it a little bit more often now,” joked Kesslring, who joined the Sabres early Thursday morning with winger Josh Doan in the trade that sent winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth.

Then on Dec. 7, Kesselring, 25, enjoyed perhaps the most memorable outing of his 156-game NHL career, registering a goal, an assist and a fight – he scrapped with Beck Malenstyn, his new teammate – in Utah’s 5-2 win in Buffalo.

“The Gordie Howe hat trick is probably one of the highlights of my career so far,” Kesselring said on a Zoom call Thursday. “It was really fun. … There’s a lot of good memories in that arena so far, so maybe it was meant to be.”

Having Doan, 23, with him should make the transition easier.

The close friends shared a home with their pets last season. They plan to live together again in Buffalo.

In Utah, Kesselring’s two cats, Socks and Ranger, stayed upstairs, while Doan’s dog Hank, a St. Bernard-poodle mix, had the first floor to himself.

“I’m sure it’ll make it feel a little more like home having all three of them together again,” Doan said.

While Kesselring, the right-shot defenseman the Sabres sorely needed, acknowledged leaving Utah was difficult, he understands he has a special opportunity in Buffalo.

The Sabres possibly envision him skating alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power.

It’s a role the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Kesselring – “I think I’m a big guy that can move,” he said – would relish.

“It’s funny, honestly, they’re one of my favorite teams to watch, just because of Rasmus and Owen,” said Kesselring, who has one of the NHL’s hardest shots. “Obviously, they’re a little bit more skilled than me, but I like to think, offensively, I can learn some stuff from them and implement it into my game.”

Kesselring said he can be a reliable “steady Eddie” partner who plays a heavy defensive game and boxes out but also possesses enough skill to get his partner the puck.

In recent seasons, as he has morphed from an unheralded prospect into an NHL regular, he said he has learned to utilize his heavy frame.

“It’s a big part of my game the last few years and why I’ve become a better player, I think,” Kesselring said. “I think defensively I’ve slowly become harder to play against since I signed pro, and that’s one thing I really want to take pride in this year.”

During Team USA’s run at the World Championship – Thompson’s goal clinched the gold medal – he said being cast in a defensive role in high-pressure games buoyed his development.

“Those games did a lot for me,” Kesselring said.

In the 6-foot-2, 198-pound Doan, the Sabres have a likable youngster they will likely play on the third or fourth line.

Doan, whose father, Shane, captained the Coyotes, spent most of last season with Utah, playing a career-high 51 games and scoring seven goals and 19 points after beginning the season in the minors.

“Something I learned last year is how hard this league is and how hard you have to work,” Doan said. “But I think last year I had to prove myself defensively to stick in the NHL. I proved that I can play both ends of the ice. But there is an element of my game that I do think I can score at the next level, and I know I can.”

Kesselring believes more offense will materialize for Doan.

“Honestly, one of the most underrated sticks I’ve seen – stripping guys, poke-checking guys – for a forward,” he said. “So that’s something, if he keeps hunting pucks, he can get in on the forecheck, he can cause turnovers. Then I think with a little bit more experience he’s going to start scoring some goals.”

Off the ice, Kesselring said “every locker room can use a person like Josh Doan.”

“He’s a talker,” he said, “loves to be around the guys.”