Mammoth Strike Gold With JJ Peterka Trade

For the second summer in a row, the Utah Mammoth are making a huge splash via the trade market. They acquired top-pairing defender Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2024, and they follow that up this offseason by acquiring and signing high-scoring forward JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in an overnight trade. In return, the Mammoth sent defenseman Michael Kesselring and emerging forward Josh Doan to Buffalo.

This is a huge win for the Mammoth for multiple reasons. The first is the most obvious, but also the most important. Adding Peterka addresses a huge hole in Utah’s top-six forward group. Now they have the 23-year-old Peterka on the left wing of one of their top two lines, who is fresh off a 27-goal, 68-point campaign. With the extension he signed in Utah, the Mammoth can anticipate having him around for the next five seasons approaching 30 tallies.

The second piece of this is what they gave up to acquire Peterka. Kesselring is a strong defender and only 25 years old. He should provide the Sabres with a stable, right-shot defenseman for their middle pairing. He’s a valuable addition to a Buffalo team trying to improve their team defense. Similarly, the 23-year-old winger Josh Doan is ready for a larger role, which he should get in Buffalo.

Even with the value Doan and Kesselring should bring to the Sabres, the Mammoth must be applauded for giving up so little to snag Peterka. What makes it even more impressive is that they didn’t part with any draft picks to secure the deal. Utah expertly held their leverage of the Sabres in this situation, and it helped them land the most coveted forward on the trade market.

Now, the Mammoth are in an excellent position to challenge for a playoff spot in 2025-2026. The big question on their roster now is goaltending. Will they stick with the duo of Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram, or does Utah general manager Bill Armstrong have another trick up his sleeve this offseason?