By The Hockey Writers,Zach Berta
Copyright yardbarker
Kesselring is a big-bodied defenseman who has a heavy shot, shutdown capabilities, and fits one of the Sabres’ top priorities heading into the offseason as a top-four right-shot defenseman. He’s projected to be on a pair with Owen Power, and I’m interested to see how well they can form chemistry during training camp.
Not only will Kesselring help the team night in and night out, but he’s also crucial to help Power take the next step. Power has struggled from time to time over his first few seasons in the NHL, especially defensively. Adding Kesselring to his pair not only gives him a quality defenseman, but it will also allow him to play free and really dominate the game offensively. Power is at his best when he is moving the puck north and south and controlling the puck at the point in the offensive zone.
Doan, on the other hand, has not been allowed to showcase what he can do at the NHL level. The closest we got to seeing it was when he played in 11 games with the Arizona Coyotes to end the 2023-24 season, where he recorded nine points during that span. Last season with Utah he was buried in the bottom six with only 12-13 minutes time on ice per game. I’d expect that to change in Buffalo.
He wasn’t brought here to produce offensively, though — his defensive game is what really stands out. According to Evolving Hockey, last season, he was in the 85th percentile in defense. Outside of a few players, the Sabres have really lacked forwards who can play not only defense but also a 200-foot game, and Doan can do that.
Another name is Conor Timmins, a defenseman acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Timmins, who is expected to slot into the third pair next to Mattias Samuelsson, is a solid two-way guy who can move the puck but also play solid defense. He’s not a player who is going to stand out every night, but he does all the little things right. His hockey IQ is a bit underrated, and I think Sabres fans are going to love seeing Timmins play every night.
Watching Sabres training camp is going to be intriguing, to say the least. Will an extension with Tuch get done? Will we see Georgiev or Lyon be the team’s opening-night starter, and will the new additions make an immediate impact?
