JJ Peterka trade grades for Bruins, Mammoth

As trades and major moves went down in the days prior to the NHL Draft, it seemed the Boston Bruins were sitting on their hands and that general manager Don Sweeney was not going to accomplish anything. The Bruins had overcome expectations and earned a spot in the playoffs in 2025-26, but they went out in the first round after losing to the Buffalo Sabres in six games.

There was talent on the roster in David Pastrnak, Charley McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman, but there were also several holes. It seemed the Bruins were doing very little to fill the holes. Then the news came down as the Bruins had sent two first-round draft choices to the Utah Mammoth for winger JJ Peterka.

Peterka has played four full seasons in the NHL and two games in another. He is a 24-year-old who has averaged 26.7 goals in the last three seasons. The Bruins look at Peterka as a player who fits in on either of the top two lines. He should be able to get to the net and score at a very high level, and that is a must for the team after giving up a pair of first-round draft picks.

Peterka and Pastrnak could team up on the top line

One of the options that Bruins head coach Marco Sturm will have is playing Peterka on the team’s top line with Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. If Sturm decides to play his fellow countryman on the top line — both are German-born — the Bruins may have one of the most dangerous lines in the NHL. Pastrnak is a consistent 100-point scorer, but his goal scoring dipped last year as he only found the back of the net 29 times.

The team would probably be more dangerous if Pastrnak was back in the 45-50 goal range, and that could happen with Peterka on his opposite wing. If the newest Bruin can score 30-35 goals, Pastrnak could be more willing to shoot the puck rather than pass it.

Adding Peterka is a good move for the Bruins, but it is one that is quite costly. The first-round draft pick the Bruins received from the Florida Panthers in the Brad Marchand trade prior to the 2025 deadline is now possessed by the Utah Mammoth.

However, that is a conditional pick and if it ends up in the top 10, the Bruins have the option of keeping the pick and sending their 2029 unprotected first-rounder to Utah.

If Peterka turns out to be average or below, Bruins fans who are fed up with Sweeney’s leadership will become even angrier. However, if Peterka turns out to be the young star on the rise that the Bruins hope he is, it could turn out to be a dynamic move for the team.

Boston Bruins trade grade: B

Utah Mammoth gain flexibility with additional draft picks, but give up potential star

The Mammoth paid a heavy price a year ago when they traded Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring and Peterka. The Mammoth saw Peterka as a youngster who had back-to-back seasons with 27-plus goals as a potential superstar. Peterka did not have a bad year for Utah, but he did not come close to star status. He scored 25 goals and 22 assists for the Mammoth, and it was clear head coach Andre Tourigny expected more from him.

As the season moved along, Peterka’s playing time with the Mammoth diminished and he did not score a point in the six-game first-round Stanley Cup playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Things got so bad during the postseason that the coach decided to bench Peterka midway through the third period of the team’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 3 of the series. Peterka was sitting on the bench in the last half of the third period and throughout overtime.

“It was because of his play,” Tourigny said, per the Boston Globe. “I had a discussion with JJ. That discussion will stay inside our room.”​

Mammoth gets strong return for Peterka