Sabres’ Michael Kesselring leaves game with lower-body injury
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring left Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with a lower-body injury and did not return, according to head coach Lindy Ruff.
Addressing reporters after the Sabres’ come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Red Wings, Ruff noted that “it doesn’t look good” for Kesselring, who took just one shift in the final 10 minutes of the second period before leaving for good early in the third.
Buffalo News reporter Mike Harrington added after the game that Kesselring was spotted in a walking boot at Little Caesars Arena. The first-year Sabre logged 10:59 of ice time and was a plus-one in the victory.
Injury note yet again: Kesselring played one shift the last 10 minutes of the second and one shift in the third. Lindy: "My initial thought is it doesn't look good." And Kesselring was seen in a walking boot after the game. #Sabres
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) November 16, 2025Kesselring, 25, is in his first year with the Sabres after being acquired from the Utah Mammoth in the 2025 offseason. The Mammoth traded Kesselring and Josh Doan to Buffalo in exchange for RFA forward J.J. Peterka, who subsequently signed a seven-year contract with Utah.
After starting the 2025-26 season on the shelf with another injury, Kesselring made his Sabres debut on Oct. 28. The Florence, South Carolina product has appeared in nine games with the Sabres this season, recording no points and averaging 15:37 of ice time.
A sixth-round pick (No. 164 overall) of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2018 NHL Draft, Kesselring developed in the Bakersfield Condors AHL system but never played for his draft club. In need of a veteran center leading up to the 2023 trade deadline, the Oilers dealt Kesselring and a 2023 third-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Nick Bjugstad, who returned to the Coyotes the following season.
Kesselring quickly emerged as a dependable NHL option over parts of two seasons with the Coyotes, with his 6’5″, 215-pound frame and right-handed shot proving very useful in Andre Tourigny’s system. He had another solid season with the Utah Hockey Club in 2024-25, collecting seven goals and 29 points in 82 games.
Through 165 career NHL games over parts of four seasons with the Coyotes, Utah HC, and Sabres, Kesselring has amassed 12 goals and 53 points. He’s under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season at a $1.4 million cap hit.