Trade grades: Mammoth get an A+ for Peterka addition

Two of the storylines to ticker this NHL offseason were whether the Utah Mammoth could adhd astatine slightest 1 top-six guardant to their roster, and if the Buffalo Sabres would portion ways with restricted escaped cause J.J. Peterka.

Wednesday nighttime oregon aboriginal Thursday, depending upon the clip zone, those narratives collided, with the Mammoth acquiring Peterka successful a commercialized with the Sabres, with guardant Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring going to Western New York.

Let's look astatine however some beforehand offices performed successful this swap, arsenic good arsenic what it means for each franchise moving forward.

Utah Mammoth
Grade: A+

In 2024-25, the Utah Hockey Club was a top-10 squad successful presumption of changeable share, shots per 60 minutes rate, and scoring chances per 60 -- but finished 16th successful goals per game. So determination was a disconnect. With $20.357 cardinal successful wage headdress space, a solution needed to beryllium recovered for that problem.

And truthful the latest important determination for Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong? Landing Peterka successful trade, past instantly signing him to a five-year hold worthy $7.7 cardinal annually.

Since Ryan and Ashley Smith purchased the franchise and moved them to Salt Lake City, the Mammoth person taken a strategical yet assertive approach. It started past twelvemonth erstwhile they traded for a morganatic No. 1 defenseman successful Mikhail Sergachev on with John Marino arsenic portion of a program to revamp their bluish line.

Peterka is simply a continuation of that request to instrumentality different large swing. In doing so, the Mammoth adhd a 23-year-old proven goal-scorer who not lone addresses their request for much goals but besides fits into their semipermanent plans. After scoring 28 goals and what was past a career-high 50 points successful 2023-24, Peterka responded with 27 goals and 68 points successful 77 games successful what would beryllium his last play successful Buffalo.

Trades tin often beryllium astir creating much options for a team, and Peterka gives the Mammoth rather a few. They present person a top-six winger radical that besides includes Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Nick Schmaltz. That amounts to a quartet of 20-goal scorers to play with centers Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton, who besides scored much than 20 goals past season, anchoring those apical 2 lines.

Armed with what's considered to beryllium 1 of the strongest workplace systems successful the NHL, the Mammoth didn't person to portion ways with immoderate of their apical prospects to get Peterka. They inactive person Matias Maccelli -- who they could question to determination 1 from successful different commercialized -- and inactive person $14.982 cardinal successful headdress space, per PuckPedia.

Nick Bjugstad and Michael Carcone are their astir salient unrestricted escaped agents, portion Jack McBain remains their lone restricted escaped agent. After landing a difference-maker astatine No. 4 wide successful the draught connected Friday -- oregon utilizing that prime to get different NHL-ready subordinate alternatively -- they'll beryllium capable to usage the bulk of that remaining headdress abstraction to beryllium progressive successful escaped bureau connected July 1.

Buffalo Sabres
Grade: B-

The astir apt connection 1 could usage to picture what Sabres GM Kevyn Adams received successful instrumentality for Peterka? Complicated.

Generally, a 23-year-old top-six guardant who remains nether squad power is going to hypothetically pull a definite terms tag. In immoderate ways, the Sabres were capable to get that by receiving a brace of NHL players successful Doan and Kesselring. But there's an statement to beryllium made that the Sabres didn't person enough.

Missing the playoffs for the past 14 seasons has near the Sabres successful the abstraction betwixt trying to extremity that drought, portion having 1 oculus connected the aboriginal successful lawsuit plans request to alteration (again). Although the Sabres bash person 1 of the stronger workplace systems, the Peterka commercialized presented an accidental for them to adhd much -- whether it beryllium done draught superior oregon prospects.

That's particularly existent erstwhile the subordinate astatine the halfway of the woody was truthful important to the Sabres, fixed helium was 2nd connected the squad successful points, 3rd successful goals, 3rd successful power-play points and 3rd successful crystal clip among forwards with much than 70 games.

It's not similar Adams walked distant with nothing. Doan could carve a spot arsenic a top-nine forward. Joining the Sabres is simply a accidental for Doan to find the consistency that eluded him successful Utah. He played 28 games successful the AHL past play successful summation to the 51 games helium played for the Hockey Club.

Kesselring gives the Sabres a 3rd right-shot defenseman connected their roster. He finished with much than 20 points, portion logging much than 70 games, successful consecutive seasons. He was besides sixth among Mammoth defensemen successful mean crystal time; similar Doan, helium could spot a greater relation successful Buffalo.

Doan and Kesselring springiness the Sabres depth. They are besides going to outgo the nine a combined $2.325 cardinal successful headdress space, with some players having a twelvemonth near connected their respective contracts earlier restricted escaped agency. The Sabres present person $20.881 cardinal successful headdress space, per PuckPedia.

Yet it inactive results successful this question: Was a bottom-six/middle-six guardant and a middle-pairing (at best) defenseman capable of a instrumentality for a top-six forward? Or should Adams person gotten much for a subordinate that is addressing 1 of the Mammoth's biggest needs, portion leaving themselves successful request of filling a sizable spread successful the roster?