The Buffalo Sabres made NHL headline news just before midnight on Wednesday night.
According to reports from both Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Sabres have traded top-line winger JJ Peterka west to the Utah Mammoth. In return, Buffalo will receive right-handed defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
According to Servalli, Peterka, a pending restricted free agent, immediately signed a five-year, $38.5 million extension ($7.7 million AAV) with the Mammoth.
Peterka is coming off a career-best season, recording 68 points (27g, 41a) in 77 games. The 23-year-old German has seen his name pop up in trade rumors since last season’s trade deadline as rumblings emerged that he was unlikely to sign a long-term contract with the Sabres.
The 2020 second-round pick has increased his scoring output in all three full-time NHL seasons he has played with the Sabres, first breaking out during the 2023-24 campaign with 50 points (28g, 22a) in 82 games. In the last two seasons, only 13 players have scored more five-on-five goals than Peterka (41).
Buffalo has not made the playoffs since 2011, marking a 14-season streak without any postseason action. They finished second-to-last in the Atlantic Division and 12 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this past season.
Kesselring is a 25-year-old, right-shot blueliner who fits what the Sabres were reportedly seeking in return for Peterka. The South Carolina native will be a natural fit on the club’s second pairing with former number one overall draft selection Owen Power. Kesselring, a former sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, recorded 29 points (7g, 22a) in 82 games last season.
Doan is the son of former Arizona Coyotes legend Shane Doan. The 23-year-old winger spent the 2024-25 season split between Utah and the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, recording 19 points (7g, 12a) in 51 NHL games and 26 points (11g, 15a) in 28 AHL games.
Peterka will join the newly branded Mammoth after they finished seven points out of the second wild-card playoff position in the Western Conference last season. His 68 points last year would have finished second on Utah, behind likely future linemate Clayton Keller (90 points).
Update (12:45 am): The Mammoth have made the trade and contract signing official.
