The Buffalo Sabres acquired the 20th-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks, sending the 27th-overall pick and defenseman Michael Kesselring to San Jose in a first-round trade announced by the Sabres.
Sabres Move Up Seven Spots
The move gives Buffalo a cleaner first-round shot in its own building. The Sabres will host the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27, and the team said it is now set to pick four times.
Buffalo's official release confirmed the core of the deal: No. 20 goes to the Sabres, while No. 27 and Kesselring go to the Sharks. Pro Hockey Rumors noted that the pick San Jose traded was originally acquired from Edmonton in March 2025 in exchange for defenseman Jake Walman.
The Sabres' remaining draft board is thin after the first round. The team listed one pick in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds after the trade, while Pro Hockey Rumors identified those selections as 124th, 156th and 188th overall.
Michael Kesselring Heads To San Jose
Kesselring spent one season in Buffalo after arriving from Utah last summer in the deal that also brought Josh Doan to the Sabres. Injuries limited the defenseman to 34 games, during which he had two assists and averaged 13:24 of ice time, according to the Sabres' release.
Pro Hockey Rumors reported that Kesselring is 26 and in the final year of a two-year, $2.8 million contract carrying a $1.4 million average annual value. He is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.
For San Jose, the trade adds an NHL defenseman while keeping a first-round selection. The Sharks move down seven spots rather than out of the round, which is a different kind of rebuild math from simply collecting distant picks.
Draft Host Gets A Bigger Swing
For Buffalo, the premium is immediate draft position. Moving from No. 27 to No. 20 can matter in a first round where tiers tend to disappear quickly, and the Sabres had fewer mid-round picks available to maneuver after earlier trades.
The transaction also clarifies Kesselring's place in Buffalo's roster picture. The Sabres turned a defenseman limited by injuries last season into a higher first-round slot before hosting one of the league's biggest offseason events.