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JJ Peterka file: a trade could take place between now and the draft
Mathis Therrien
JJ Peterka file: a trade could take place between now and the draft
Credit: Getty Images
Only five sleeps remain before the first round of the National Hockey League draft.

It’s getting more and more exciting, and above all, it’s making the 32 NHL teams more and more active on the transaction market.

Each team wants to improve, but also to settle the various issues it has on its table, either with contracts to be signed, or players who wish to leave.

And like every year, well, it looks like the Buffalo Sabres will have to trade and let go one of their good players, because once again, nobody wants to stay in Buffalo, considering the club’s repeated failures.

After Dylan Cozens earlier this year, the player most likely to leave the Sabres this summer is young German forward JJ Peterka.

This has been a hot topic in the NHL for several months now, and with the draft approaching, interest in the young German is VERY strong.

So strong, in fact, that according to Frank Seravalli, a trade could take place within the next five days.

Indeed, that’s what the reputed informant said during his appearance on the latest episode of the “DFO Rundown” podcast.

Seravalli believes it will happen by the draft, and if not, well, he’d be extremely surprised to see Peterka in a Sabres uniform come October.

So the 23-year-old winger really is on his way out of Buffalo, and we can understand the monster interest in him.

Why would that be?

Well, because at 23, Peterka is still developing, and he already has good NHL seasons under his belt: 50 points in 23-24 and, more recently, 68 points, including 27 goals, in 24-25.

The German has been making steady progress since his arrival in the NHL, and now that his entry-level contract has expired, he becomes all the more interesting for other teams, as they will be able to sign him to the contract of their choice by negotiating with him, given that he will be a restricted free agent.

A talented 23-year-old winger who scored 68 points with the horrible Buffalo Sabres is worth his weight in gold, because it’s not every day that a young player who’s just had his best season finds himself on the market.

It’s not for nothing that Peterka is a very attractive option for the Habs.

Of course, even if the Habs are in the running, there’s no guarantee that they’ll get their hands on him, and especially that Kent Hughes will be willing to pay the price and outbid them, because with all the teams interested, Peterka will go for a big price.

Seravalli named the New York Islanders, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers among the teams interested and well placed in the file.

What could hurt the Habs is that the Sabres are reportedly asking for a right-handed defenseman in return for Peterka.

David Reinbacher won’t be traded, and I don’t think Logan Mailloux is what the Sabres are looking for, because they want something concrete right now.

In short, it would be a VERY nice acquisition if Kent Hughes ever manages to pull a rabbit out of his hat, because Peterka would fit right in on a second line with Ivan Demidov.


– Read on.

– Coming up.

– Great options for the Habs.

– Charlotte Checkers stay alive. The Abbotsford Canucks now lead the series 3-2.

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