- Sharks signed Michael Kesselring to a three-year, $13.5 million extension
- The deal carries a $4.5 million cap hit and runs through the 2028-29 season
- Read below for what San Jose gave up to land the big right-shot defenseman
The Sharks aren’t letting Michael Kesselring get anywhere near the open market.
San Jose signed the defenseman to a three-year extension on Sunday worth $13.5 million. The deal carries a $4.5 million cap hit and keeps him in teal through the 2028-29 season.
Kesselring landed in San Jose less than two weeks ago. The Sharks grabbed him from Buffalo on June 17, sending the No. 20 pick to the Sabres and getting Kesselring plus the No. 27 selection back. Here’s how that deal broke down:
He was a restricted free agent finishing off a two-year, $2.8 million contract. Rather than push him to the July 1 deadline, general manager Mike Grier locked him up early and beat the qualifying cutoff.
Grier was clear about what he liked when he made the trade. He talked up Kesselring’s frame and his two-way game after the deal went through:
“Michael has a big frame with solid two-way ability. He is a responsible player in the defensive zone with a well rounded offensive game, and will be a good upgrade for us patrolling the blueline.”
At 6-foot-5 with a right-handed shot, Kesselring gives a young San Jose group some real size on the back end. Right-shot defensemen who can move the puck and defend their own zone don’t come cheap, and the Sharks paid to keep one off the market.
The signing capped a busy Sunday for Grier, who also re-signed forward Zack Ostapchuk to a four-year deal worth $9.4 million. Two restricted free agents, two new contracts, one day:
It fits the way Grier has run his offseason. The Sharks have been stacking young, oversized talent all summer, and Kesselring slots right into that plan as a 26-year-old who still has room to grow.
Now San Jose has its big right-shot defender under contract for three more years instead of sweating a free-agent bidding war.
