The NHL offseason featured two key questions: would the Utah Mammoth secure a top-six forward, and would the Buffalo Sabres trade restricted free agent JJ Peterka? These questions were answered when the Mammoth acquired Peterka from the Sabres. Buffalo received forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring in return. Let`s analyze the trade for both teams and its implications.
Utah Mammoth
Grade: A+
The Utah Hockey Club performed well in 2024-25 regarding shot metrics (top-10 in shot share, shots/60, scoring chances/60), but their 16th-place finish in goals per game highlighted a scoring deficiency. With over $20 million in cap space, addressing this need was a priority.
General Manager Bill Armstrong`s major move was acquiring Peterka and immediately signing him to a five-year extension worth $7.7 million per season.
Since the ownership group moved the team to Salt Lake City, the Mammoth have pursued an aggressive, strategic approach. This included last year`s acquisition of top defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino to strengthen their defense.
Acquiring Peterka represents another significant step in this strategy. At 23, he`s a proven goal scorer who fills their need for offense and fits their long-term plans. After a 28-goal, 50-point season in 2023-24, he improved to 27 goals and 68 points in his final 77 games with Buffalo.
Trades create options, and Peterka provides many for the Mammoth. Their top-six wingers now feature Peterka alongside Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Nick Schmaltz – four players capable of scoring 20+ goals. These wingers can play with centers Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton, both 20+ goal scorers themselves, forming strong top two lines.
The Mammoth boast one of the league`s strongest farm systems and didn`t need to trade any top prospects for Peterka. They retain Matias Maccelli (a potential trade piece) and maintain significant cap space, reported to be over $14 million.
Key unrestricted free agents include Nick Bjugstad and Michael Carcone, while Jack McBain is their sole restricted free agent. With their remaining cap space, bolstered by potentially drafting a difference-maker at No. 4 or acquiring an NHL-ready player with that pick, they are well-positioned for the start of free agency on July 1.
Buffalo Sabres
Grade: B-
Describing what Sabres GM Kevyn Adams received for Peterka is best done with the word “complicated.”
A 23-year-old top-six forward under team control usually commands a high price. By acquiring Doan and Kesselring, the Sabres did get two NHL players. However, an argument can be made that the return wasn`t sufficient.
Having missed the playoffs for 14 consecutive seasons, the Sabres are in a difficult position, balancing the desire to make the postseason with potential future rebuilding needs. While they have a solid farm system, the Peterka trade was an opportunity to significantly boost their prospect pool or draft capital.
This is particularly true given Peterka`s importance to the Sabres last season, where he ranked second in points, third in goals, third in power-play points, and third in ice time among forwards playing over 70 games.
Adams didn`t get nothing, though. Doan could develop into a top-nine forward. The move to Buffalo gives him a chance to find the consistency he lacked in Utah, where he split time between the AHL (28 games) and the NHL (51 games).
Kesselring provides the Sabres with a third right-shot defenseman. He has exceeded 20 points and played over 70 games in each of the last two seasons. He ranked sixth in average ice time among Mammoth defensemen and could see a larger role with the Sabres.
Doan and Kesselring add depth and have one year remaining on their contracts before RFA status, costing the Sabres a combined $2.325 million in cap space. Buffalo now has over $20 million in cap space.
This still leads to the question: Is a bottom-six/middle-six forward and a middle-pairing defenseman (at best) a sufficient return for a top-six forward who addresses a major need for the acquiring team while leaving a significant gap in the trading team`s lineup?
Duncan Priestley 
Gareth Tenby