Two significant potential developments heading into the NHL offseason were whether the newly relocated Utah Mammoth team would strengthen their roster by adding a top-six forward, and if the Buffalo Sabres would move on from restricted free agent JJ Peterka.
These two situations converged recently when the Mammoth completed a trade with the Sabres to acquire Peterka. In the deal, Buffalo received forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring.
Let`s evaluate the performance of both front offices in this transaction and consider the implications for each franchise moving forward.
Utah Mammoth
Grade: A+
During the 2024-25 season, the Utah Hockey Club ranked among the top 10 teams in metrics like shot share, shots per 60 minutes, and scoring chances per 60, yet they finished 16th in goals per game. This highlighted a clear need to convert opportunities into goals. With over $20 million in salary cap flexibility, addressing this scoring issue was a priority.
The latest major move by Mammoth General Manager Bill Armstrong is the acquisition of Peterka via trade, immediately followed by signing him to a five-year contract extension worth $7.7 million per season.
Since Ryan and Ashley Smith took ownership and relocated the team to Salt Lake City, the Mammoth organization has adopted a calculated yet assertive strategy. This began last year with trades to bring in a legitimate top defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev, alongside John Marino, as part of an effort to rebuild their defensive core.
Acquiring Peterka represents the continuation of this strategy to make significant additions. By doing so, the Mammoth secure a 23-year-old forward with a proven scoring track record who not only fulfills their immediate need for more offense but also aligns with their long-term plans. After achieving 28 goals and a then-career-high 50 points in the 2023-24 season, Peterka improved further with 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games during what turned out to be his final season with Buffalo.
Trades often aim to increase a team`s strategic options, and Peterka certainly provides the Mammoth with several. They now boast a top-six forward group featuring Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Nick Schmaltz, forming a quartet of 20-goal scorers. These wingers can play alongside centers Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton, both of whom also surpassed the 20-goal mark last season, anchoring the top two lines.
Possessing what is widely considered one of the NHL`s strongest prospect pools, the Mammoth were able to acquire Peterka without parting with any of their most highly-touted young players. They still retain Matias Maccelli, whom they could potentially trade, and maintain significant cap space, around $15 million according to PuckPedia.
Their most notable unrestricted free agents include Nick Bjugstad and Michael Carcone, while Jack McBain is their only remaining restricted free agent. Following the addition of a potential impact player with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft (or using that pick to acquire another established NHL player), they will have the majority of their remaining cap space available to be active participants in free agency when it opens on July 1.
Buffalo Sabres
Grade: B-
The return received by Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams for Peterka could best be described as complex. Generally, a 23-year-old top-six forward who is still under team control would be expected to command a specific price.
In one sense, the Sabres met this expectation by acquiring two players already in the NHL, Doan and Kesselring. However, there is a valid argument that the compensation received by Buffalo was insufficient.
Having missed the playoffs for 14 consecutive seasons, the Sabres find themselves attempting to end that drought while simultaneously keeping an eye on the future in case adjustments are necessary. Although the Sabres do have a strong prospect system, the Peterka trade presented an opportunity to further enhance it, either through additional draft picks or prospects.
This is particularly true considering how important Peterka was to the Sabres roster. He ranked second on the team in points, third in goals, third in power-play points, and third among forwards playing over 70 games in average ice time.
Adams did not walk away empty-handed. Doan has the potential to establish himself as a top-nine forward. Joining the Sabres offers Doan a chance to find more consistency than he did in Utah, where he played 28 AHL games last season in addition to 51 games for the NHL club.
Kesselring provides the Sabres with a third right-shot defenseman on their roster. He recorded over 20 points while playing more than 70 games in back-to-back seasons. He was also sixth among Mammoth defensemen in average ice time; like Doan, he could see an increased role in Buffalo.
Doan and Kesselring offer the Sabres organizational depth. Their combined cost against the salary cap is $2.325 million, with both players having one year remaining on their contracts before becoming restricted free agents. According to PuckPedia, the Sabres now have over $20 million in cap space.
Yet, the central question remains: Was a bottom-six/middle-six forward and a defenseman who is, at best, a middle-pairing player, a sufficient return for a top-six forward? Or should Adams have demanded more for a player who directly addresses one of the Mammoth`s most significant needs, while leaving a considerable void in the Sabres` lineup?
