JJ Peterka didn’t see the trade coming.
One year after the Buffalo Sabres sent him to Utah in a deal for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, the 24-year-old winger was moved again - this time from the Mammoth to the Boston Bruins for a pair of first-round picks. Peterka said the news caught him off guard.
"It was a huge surprise. It was like one of those things I never expected," Peterka said during the NHL/NHLPA European Media Tour earlier this week.
"I was watching the draft. I was actually surprised.
I got the call, and I was like, 'okay, good to know'. It was like shocking at first, but (I'm) super excited after just seeing like who's (on the Bruins)."
Peterka’s path has now taken another turn after a turbulent stretch that began in Buffalo. Last summer, the Sabres faced a contract stalemate with the winger after he finished second on the team in scoring with 68 points heading into a contract year. Rather than work out an extension, GM Kevyn Adams dealt him to Utah.
A year later, Utah moved on from Peterka after he signed a five-year, $38.5 million deal and put up 25 goals. His production dipped overall, though, as he fell from 68 points to 47 while averaging just under 16 minutes per game. In the playoffs, he went without a point and his ice time dropped to 13:38.
Now he lands in Boston, where the roster includes a familiar cluster of former Sabres. Peterka joins Casey Mittelstadt, Connor Clifton, Nikita Zadorov, Henri Jokiharju and Will Borgen, along with Adams, who was hired as a special advisor to GM Don Sweeney, and German bench boss Marco Sturm.
For Peterka, that part of the move matters. The Munich native said having a coach who speaks his language could make a difference as he tries to reset.
"Having like a native speaking coach is something special, and I think it's gonna help a lot too." Peterka said. "Just getting my confidence back.....having a chance to settle in, I think is gonna help a lot."
There’s also a fit to watch on the ice. Peterka could potentially line up on the left side with Bruins scoring leader David Pastrnak, which would give Boston another offensive layer heading into next season.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Became The Goalie Contract Benchmark Fans Need To Watch
Joel Hofers rise in St. Louis has quietly turned him into one of the more interesting young goalie cases in the NHL. After taking over as the Blues starter last season and backing it up with strong numbers in 46 games, he has moved from promising depth piece to a legitimate part of the teams core, which is exactly why his next contract is drawing so much attention around the league.
For Buffalo fans, the part to watch is how the market treats a young starter with upside when a club is trying to lock him in before the cost climbs further. Hofer is a restricted free agent after this season, and the Blues could face the kind of contract decision that has become harder to navigate in a league where offer sheets are no longer just a theoretical threat. St. Louis has dealt with that landscape before, and the way it handles Hofer could help define the goalie market for teams like the Sabres looking ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Now Face One Uncomfortable Devon Levi Question
Devon Levis exit left the Sabres making another clear statement about where their goaltending plans stand. After an impressive AHL track record, Levi had slipped out of favor in Buffalo, and the club moved on by claiming another goalie off waivers before dealing Levi and a draft pick to Edmonton for a better pick in the future. It was the sort of transaction that says as much about organizational priorities as it does about the player involved.
Now Levi gets a fresh start with the Oilers, where he will compete for the starting job, while Buffalo continues reshaping a roster that has been changing in other spots too. The Sabres have also been working to account for the blue-line holes left by recent trades, and the next layer of the conversation is whether the pieces they brought in can steady the defense while the crease picture keeps getting more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Still Have A Goalie Gamble That Could Reshape Everything
The Sabres search for a real answer in net continues to hover over everything they do, and Connor Hellebuyck remains the name that keeps coming back into the conversation. Buffalo has shown interest in the Winnipeg goalie, who would make a clear fit for a team still trying to settle its goaltending picture, but nothing has moved because the sides have not lined up on the return.
Winnipeg is believed to want roster forwards and a better draft-pick package, and that has made the talks difficult to bridge. Add in the uncertainty created by recent playoff performance and the extra trade friction around some of Buffalos own roster considerations, and this still looks like one of those goalie pursuits that could change the Sabres direction if it ever breaks right. [Read more 🡒]