In a shocking move on Wednesday (Jun. 25) evening, the Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth swung a massive trade. The Mammoth have acquired John-Jason “J.J.” Peterka in exchange for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan. On top of that, the Mammoth and Peterka agreed to a five-year extension worth $7.7 million annually.
Hearing the JJ Peterka deal to Utah is for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 26, 2025
Three players, no picks.
After the surprising move, here are some grades for both teams after the biggest trade before the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Utah Mammoth: A++
This is an incredible move for the Mammoth, who have made it clear they want to make a push for the playoffs next season, and considering what the rumoured asking price for Peterka was previously, which was a first-round pick and several high-level prospects, this is an incredible deal to pull off. On top of not having to pay much for him in a trade, they got him extended at a reasonable price and have plenty of money left over to make another splash this offseason, giving promise that they could make the playoffs next season for the first time in their franchise’s history.
Related: Utah Mammoth’s 2025 Free Agents: Who Stays & Who Goes?
Peterka’s analytics don’t jump off the page as incredible by any means, but his natural scoring ability and potential to grow into a strong two-way player made him one of the most enticing potential trade pieces this summer.
JJ Peterka, traded to UTA pending something, is a young dynamic rushing winger who does almost all his damage in transition. Has a ton of skill and plenty of upside, but is not an attentive defender and could stand to round out his offensive game. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/1XFH1bGHb2
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 26, 2025
Losing a promising duo in Kesselring and Doan may hurt some fans who were excited for their future, but you don’t hesitate to move on from players when someone like Peterka becomes available. This was a masterclass from the Mammoth and sets them up to be a real contender next season.
Buffalo Sabres: F+
Sigh.
I was at a loss for words when I first read the return for Peterka. Seeing that Kesselring and Doan were coming back was a solid start to a larger trade package gave me hope they may have made a solid trade, but only getting those two in return? That’s a little embarrassing.
This doesn’t make much sense for the Sabres whatsoever. Even if some of the previous rumors were true and Peterka wasn’t going to re-sign with the Sabres, the fact that they didn’t hold out to try and get a larger trade package is surprising. It’s hard to believe the rest of the NHL, including contending teams who are dealing with money issues, wouldn’t have been willing to pay a similar package, or even pay a little more, to bring him in and have him on their roster as they push towards winning a Stanley Cup.
This trade may be okay in terms of adding future assets, but the Sabres don’t even get a draft pick out of this; they get an unproven forward and a solid top-four defender. They are taking a risk by giving up on Peterka so early in his young career, and again, even if he wanted out or wasn’t going to sign an extension with the Sabres, there is no way other teams wouldn’t have been interested in bringing him in.
This one is going to set the Sabres back a lot. They’re rumored to be shopping Bowen Byram this offseason as well, so if they want any chance of being competitive next season, they should be planning on being extremely aggressive when the draft comes around and even into free agency. If not, they’re destined to be sitting at the bottom of the standings.
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