As the season progresses, the Buffalo Sabres have seen the production and development of JJ Peterka. He has grown from a playmaking forward with some solid scoring touch, to a goal scorer with solid playmaking abilities. The script flipping on how he approaches the game has been exciting to watch and has been one of the best parts of their season. The Sabres have lacked consistent goal-scoring all season, but Peterka has been one of their best despite being moved around the lineup. Instead of shuffling him around, I think it would be better to give him a solidified spot on the top line for the remainder of the season.
Peterka Has Earned a Top Line Spot
He has moved up and down the lineup as coach Don Granato has been looking for line chemistry, and he has shown an ability to do well when he is put on a line with other scoring players. The Sabres top line of Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Jeff Skinner has been extraordinarily flat this season, and switching one or more of them out for Peterka could breathe new life into it. Peterka works hard every shift, drives the net, and has some very slick hands to make space for his linemates.
The left wing spot has been taken over by Zemgus Girgensons since Skinner moved to a line with Peyton Krebs. However, Peterka still deserves a shot with the top scorers to really show what he can do. Pairing him with Thompson and Tuch gives a newfound balance to the top line as a whole. Tuch’s nose for hounding opposing players to create turnovers will blend well with Peterka’s finishing ability as he too is a fairly aggressive forward, and Thompson’s scoring ability will pair well with Peterka’s playmaking. As the Sabres continue to attempt their playoff push, they can use all the scoring they can get, and this would definitely help them.
Peterka’s Production Will Only Improve
Typically, Peterka sees time alongside the other two parts of the Sabres’ “kid line” of himself, Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn. Unfortunately for him and the Sabres, Quinn has been plagued with major injuries this season, and that has definitely affected Cozens, but it has not hindered Peterka in the slightest. Sitting currently tied for the team lead in goals with 21 (tied with Jeff Skinner), he has shown time and again this season that he is not just a product of playing with better players. His scoring touch and his work ethic have grown him into an NHL-caliber winger with some serious upside still left in him.
Will Peterka finish the season with 35 goals like he was projecting early on? Probably not, no. However, he still has a good chance to push the 30-goal mark while easily hitting the 25-goal mark. For a sophomore season player, that is a fantastic step for him to take and build off going into the 2024-25 season. With his current pace, he is projected to have around 50 points, which would be a respectable 18-point increase from his 32 points in 2022-23. If he builds again on his production this season, I see no reason why he wouldn’t hit the 30-goal and 60-point marks in 2024-25.
Peterka’s Confidence Can Boost Those Around Him
It is no secret that the energy of one player can rub off on the rest of the team around him. As a hard-working and driven player, Peterka has shown that he can accomplish exactly this, and make those around him better. As stated before, regardless of where he is in the lineup, he has been good at producing. That kind of confidence shows in his game and has him playing with some great speed that his linemates have to match. As soon as he gets the puck on his stick he flies. He tries to make moves up the middle and dangle through defenders constantly, and even if he doesn’t succeed, he tries it again on the next shift. A perfect example of this is when he scored a goal against the Detroit Red Wings the other night. He has attempted the same shot from the left circle all season long, and he finally connected with the beauty of a wrist shot.
Similar to how Rasmus Dahlin was in his first few years, having the confidence to try the move and to make a play happen is big when it comes to production. The fact that he is willing to try it so early in his career is both exciting and promising. As a young gun, he does not quite have the “veteran” status placed on him just yet, but the longer he stays in a Sabres uniform, the more younger players will come into the system and look up to him.
Peterka as a Leader Going Forward
Leadership comes in more forms than just a hearty locker room speech. For Peterka it comes in the form of his actions on the ice, and how he approaches the game. Having someone like him as a role model for prospects in the system to emulate is something that is hard to replace. The Sabres need to make use of that energy and keep him in a prominent role on the ice to set an example of how to approach each shift. If even a few more players match his energy, this playoff push will be something very fun to follow.
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This does not mean that I think he will be the next captain of the team, as there are a number of other frontrunners for that position, but it does mean that he has the capacity to be a leader in other ways. Where someone like Dahlin is a defensive leader and a big voice in the room, Peterka is more of the “follow what I do” kind of leader. His actions do not need to take the room by storm every game, but he provides an outstanding framework for what the right work ethic is. Peterka is a big part of this team, and he deserves recognition for that. Giving him more of an important role on the team is the first step to continuing his growth, and that will only make the team better as a whole.
