Sabres pull off trade to move up in 2026 NHL Draft after magical season

According to a team press release, the Buffalo Sabres have acquired the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the 27th overall pick and defenseman Michael Kesselring.

Buffalo moves up seven spots in the first round in this year’s draft, where they have just four selections as the host city. The Sabres now hold the 20th, 124th, 156th and 188th overall picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, respectively. This selection from San Jose was previously acquired from Edmonton in exchange for defenseman Jake Walman in March 2025.

En route to the club’s magical run of 2025-26, which ended at the hands of a Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sabres dealt away their 2026 second-round pick, notably in a package deal that highlighted Joshua Norris and parted ways with their third-round pick to the Rangers for Sam Carrick. They also acquired Tanner Pearson from the Winnipeg Jets for this year’s seventh-round selection.

As a result, following a stretch where they earned an NHL-best 63 points from a 29-9-5 record since the beginning of 2026, the Sabres ended a drought where they missed the playoffs for 14 years. They won the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history, having never finished above fifth in the division before this season. Overall, Buffalo finished with 50 wins and 109 points en route to the postseason.

As for the Sharks, they move back the second of their eight total selections that they’ll make in late June. Earlier at the NHL Draft Lottery, GM Mike Grier was awarded the second-overall pick for the second straight lottery, moving up seven spots this year with a chance to select top prospects like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, or a top-end defenseman, depending on how the Toronto Maple Leafs decide to use their first overall pick.

San Jose in 2026, along with the 2nd and now 27th overall picks, owns the 62nd overall pick after exchanging Mackenzie Blackwood to Colorado for Alexandar Georgiev. They hold no third-round picks, having dealt their own to Pittsburgh in the Erik Karlsson blockbuster trade. In the later rounds, the Sharks own two fourths, 104th from Florida, acquiring Nico Sturm, and 127th via Vegas’ from Washington, acquiring Timothy Liljegren, 157th overall via Montreal for taking on Carey Price‘s contract. They also own Columbus’s 174th overall pick and their own 201st overall pick in the seventh round.

As for Kesselring, he spent one season with Buffalo after being acquired from Utah alongside Josh Doan last summer in exchange for JJ Peterka. Injuries limited him to 34 games, during which he tallied two assists and averaged 13:24 of ice time. The 26-year-old recorded two assists in 34 games last season for Buffalo. Despite being limited by injuries during the season, he ranked third among skaters in blocked shots per 60 (5.00). He also saw one game played for the Sabres in the playoffs.