Trade grades: Mammoth get an A+ for Peterka addition

Two of the storylines to watch this NHL offseason were whether the Utah Mammoth could add at least one top-six forward to their roster, and if the Buffalo Sabres would part ways with restricted free agent J.J. Peterka.

Wednesday night or early Thursday, depending upon the time zone, those narratives collided, with the Mammoth acquiring Peterka in a trade with the Sabres, with forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring going to Western New York.

Let's look at how both front offices performed in this swap, as well as what it means for each franchise moving forward.

Utah Mammoth
Grade: A+

In 2024-25, the Utah Hockey Club was a top-10 team in terms of shot share, shots per 60 minutes rate, and scoring chances per 60 -- but finished 16th in goals per game. So there was a disconnect. With $20.357 million in salary cap space, a solution needed to be found for that problem.

And so the latest significant move for Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong? Landing Peterka in trade, then immediately signing him to a five-year extension worth $7.7 million annually.

Since Ryan and Ashley Smith purchased the franchise and moved them to Salt Lake City, the Mammoth have taken a strategic yet aggressive approach. It started last year when they traded for a legitimate No. 1 defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev along with John Marino as part of a plan to revamp their blue line.

Peterka is a continuation of that need to take another big swing. In doing so, the Mammoth add a 23-year-old proven goal-scorer who not only addresses their need for more goals but also fits into their long-term plans. After scoring 28 goals and what was then a career-high 50 points in 2023-24, Peterka responded with 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games in what would be his final season in Buffalo.

Trades can often be about creating more options for a team, and Peterka gives the Mammoth quite a few. They now have a top-six winger group that also 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 also scored more than 20 goals last season, anchoring those top two lines.

Armed with what's considered to be one of the strongest farm systems in the NHL, the Mammoth didn't have to part ways with any of their top prospects to get Peterka. They still have Matias Maccelli -- who they could seek to move one from in another trade -- and still have $14.982 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.

Nick Bjugstad and Michael Carcone are their most prominent unrestricted free agents, while Jack McBain remains their lone restricted free agent. After landing a difference-maker at No. 4 overall in the draft on Friday -- or using that pick to acquire another NHL-ready player instead -- they'll be able to use the majority of that remaining cap space to be active in free agency on July 1.

Buffalo Sabres
Grade: B-

The most apt word one could use to describe what Sabres GM Kevyn Adams received in return for Peterka? Complicated.

Generally, a 23-year-old top-six forward who remains under team control is going to hypothetically attract a certain price tag. In some ways, the Sabres were able to get that by receiving a pair of NHL players in Doan and Kesselring. But there's an argument to be made that the Sabres didn't receive enough.

Missing the playoffs for the last 14 seasons has left the Sabres in the space between trying to end that drought, while having one eye on the future in case plans need to change (again). Although the Sabres do have one of the stronger farm systems, the Peterka trade presented an opportunity for them to add more -- whether it be through draft capital or prospects.

That's especially true when the player at the center of the deal was so important to the Sabres, given he was second on the team in points, third in goals, third in power-play points and third in ice time among forwards with more than 70 games.

It's not like Adams walked away with nothing. Doan could carve a place as a top-nine forward. Joining the Sabres is a chance for Doan to find the consistency that eluded him in Utah. He played 28 games in the AHL last season in addition to the 51 games he played for the Hockey Club.

Kesselring gives the Sabres a third right-shot defenseman on their roster. He finished with more than 20 points, while logging more than 70 games, in consecutive seasons. He was also sixth among Mammoth defensemen in average ice time; like Doan, he could see a greater role in Buffalo.

Doan and Kesselring give the Sabres depth. They are also going to cost the club a combined $2.325 million in cap space, with both players having a year left on their respective contracts before restricted free agency. The Sabres now have $20.881 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.

Yet it still results in this question: Was a bottom-six/middle-six forward and a middle-pairing (at best) defenseman enough of a return for a top-six forward? Or should Adams have gotten more for a player that is addressing one of the Mammoth's biggest needs, while leaving themselves in need of filling a sizable hole in the roster?