Michael Kesselring’s lingering presence in Edmonton

It’s amazing the impact Michael Kesselring has had on the Edmonton Oilers especially when you consider he never played a game for them. There now exists a lingering fear that management has traded away the next Kesselring whenever a prospect is moved in a deal.

It just happened again at the deadline when Max Wanner and Shane Lachance were moved in the Trent Frederic deal. The layer of explanation often missed in that trade was that Wanner had only two points as a sophomore pro, and NCAA prospect Lachance didn’t want to sign in Edmonton. Wanner was graded highly following a promising rookie campaign but was viewed as a “low-end prospect” by Boston media when the trade was announced—essentially, a contract added to the deal. The more optimistic way to view the trade is that the Oilers turned a sixth- and seventh-round pick into two players who can help them win a Stanley Cup.

Let’s rewind to when Kesselring was traded. There’s no hiding the fact that the deal didn’t work out well for Edmonton. Kesselring and a third-round pick in 2023 (Vadim Moroz) were moved to the Arizona Coyotes for Nick Bjugstad and Cam Dineen. Bjugstad was on a dirt-cheap deal ($900,000) and was acquired to play a third-line role behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He was a wanted man at that trade deadline, and Edmonton paid the price to get him.

The Oilers opted to go with Vincent Desharnais as their up-and-coming blueliner in the NHL. He was almost the complete opposite of Kesselring in style, but he brought a physical, shutdown presence that Edmonton needed at that time, especially on their penalty kill. The decision didn’t work out well long-term, as the Oilers only got 31 games of service from Bjugstad. The following off-season, he signed back with the Coyotes and is now teammates with Kesselring in Utah, where the 2018 sixth-round pick is having a career season as an established 25-year-old, top-four defenceman.

While moving on from Kesselring looks terrible today, not every prospect the Oilers have traded away has turned into him. Few have panned out as something more than a depth player at the NHL level.

Reid Schaefer is showing promise as a rookie in the AHL, but that trade worked out fantastically for Edmonton, as they acquired Mattias Ekholm. Skyler Brind’Amour’s numbers look strong too, but he was another college player who didn’t want to play in Edmonton and preferred to join his father’s organization. Overall, the minor-league talent the Oilers have parted haven’t become major impact players with their new teams, save for Kesselring.

The outcome of what Wanner and Lachance become is yet to be determined, but the Kesselring deal shouldn’t dictate opinions on future trades. Edmonton has done a good job of moving on from prospects and acquiring pieces to help them win a Stanley Cup. Tonight, fans may watch Kesselring and wish he was an Oiler. He’s a good player who would help Edmonton win games right now. However, the organization chose to move on and go with Desharnais—a decision that worked out fine.

While it is known that the cupboards are bare in Edmonton prospect-wise, their 2024 NHL draft class looks promising. It was the first draft under Rick Pracey’s guidance. If they’re able to hit consistently each year and develop players into an NHL standard, then it won’t be long before they find their Kesselring replacement anyway.