The NHL off-season is here, and several high-profile players could become free agents come July. In fact, it only took a few minutes for reporters to ask the Florida Panthers how they plan to re-sign Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett. While GM Bill Zito said, “I think we can bring them all back,” the media has been abuzz with trade rumors involving the Cats, Toronto Maple Leafs, and even Connor McDavid, who is still a year left in his contract. So, imagine the surprise when news of JJ Peterka’s late-night team switch dropped.
Insiders Frank Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman suddenly had fans paying attention to their X notifications with news of the Buffalo Sabres sealing the deal with the Utah Mammoth. While Peterka was on the verge of becoming a restricted free agent on July 1st, many thought the promising NHL forward would stay with the Sabres. In fact, that’s what they had hinted at for months.
When rumors of the Sabres trading Peterka surfaced close to the March trade deadline, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams snuffed them out. “We need to make sure we’re also explaining to him how we’re going to make the team better,” said Adams. Yet, as things stand, JJ Peterka is now part of the Utah Mammoths under a five-year, $38.5 million contract ($7.7 million AAV) as per the NHL.
That’s a huge upgrade considering how much he earned with the Sabres after signing a three-year, $2.7 million entry-level contract. As per Puck Pedia, the NHL forward’s previous AAV was only $855,834. Would the Buffalo Sabres have matched how much Utah is offering the 23-year-old? Well, the fact that he chose to leave the Sabres would indicate otherwise.
Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong expressed his delight at bringing a talent like JJ Peterka on board. “J.J. is a highly skilled, creative, young forward with extremely high upside,” said Armstrong. The German’s 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games this past season only gave more weight to those words. However, the Buffalo Sabres also seem happy with their share of the bargain.
JJ Peterka’s departure didn’t shake the Buffalo Sabres
The 23-year-old NHL phenom’s stellar number last season had Sabres fans excited for what the future held for their forward. Unfortunately, they now have to watch Peterka grow as part of the Utah Mammoth. Needless to say, the trade didn’t please many fans, who asked questions like, “What are the Sabers even doing?” in response to Frank Seravalli’s post.
However, the team’s GM, Kevyn Adams’ confidence gave the impression that the NHL team knew exactly what they were doing by trading JJ Peterka. “One of our priorities as we work through this offseason is making our team more competitive and tougher to play against,” said the Sabres’ general manager after acquiring defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
“The additions of Michael and Josh will help us tremendously in both of those categories,” explained Adams. Now, losing a young forward for two equally young NHL talents doesn’t seem like a bad deal on paper. However, things get interesting when comparing Kesselring and Doan’s stats with the now-former Sabres star.
Credits: Instagram/Utah Mammoth
Kesselring scored 29 points (7 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games this season, while Doan had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 51 games. That means JJ Peterka’s stats outshine both Kesselring (25) and Doan (23) combined. Then again, the stars on paper only tell one part of the story because the two new Sabres members were also part of the USA team that won the World Championship for the first time since 1933.
Yet, the deal is definitely a win for Utah when going by this season’s numbers. Not only did the team get a high-scoring forward, but they also gained a cap bonus. “After trading Doan/Kesselring for Peterka & signing him to reported $7.7M Cap Hit deal, added $5.375M Net Cap Hit. They have $15M Projected Cap Space remaining with 20 active players (11F/7D/2G),” reported Puck Pedia. What they’ll do with it remains to be seen.
The post How Much Does JJ Peterka Earn? Here’s the NHL Star’s Salary Amid Shocking Buffalo Sabres-Utah Mammoth Trade appeared first on EssentiallySports.