NHL Notebook: Mammoth and Sabres swing massive trade

Peterka was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft and scored 27 goals and a career-high 68 points last season with the Sabres. It’s his second consecutive season with 27 or more goals, as he managed to score 28 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2023-24.

Shortly after the trade was reported, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Mammoth signed Peterka to a five-year, $38.5 million deal worth $7.7 million annually.

As for what the Sabres received, Kesselring is a large right-shot defenceman drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 draft by the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers, being the geniuses they are, threw him into a trade for Nick Bjugstad at the 2023 deadline. Immediately after that, Kesselring broke out. In 2023-24, he scored five goals and 21 points in 65 games. Last season, he scored seven goals and 29 points in 82 games, with 89 penalty minutes. He’s a good right-shot defenceman, something the Sabres desperately need.

Doan, son of the Coyotes’ franchise legend Shane, was selected 37th overall in 2021. He made his debut at the end of the 2023-24 season, scoring five goals and four points in 11 games. Last season with the Utah Hockey Club (now Mammoth), the 23-year-old scored seven goals and 19 points in 51 games.

Panthers acquire Daniil Tarasov for a draft pick

On Thursday afternoon, the Florida Panthers traded a fifth-round pick (#160) to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for netminder Daniil Tarasov.

The Russian netminder was selected 86th overall in the 2017 draft and has played 65 career games, all with the Blue Jackets. In 2023-24, he played a career-high 24 games with a .908 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average.

His play regressed in 2024-25, as he played just 20 games with an .881 save percentage and 3.54 goals against average, finishing the season with a 7-10-2 record. For his career, Tarasov has an .898 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average in 65 games.

With the trade, Tarasov is set to back up his childhood idol, Sergei Bobrovsky. Not a bad player to learn from and not a bad team to play for, given the Panthers have won back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Kraken acquire Frédérick Gaudreau for a draft pick

Another trade occurred on Thursday, as the Minnesota Wild sent forward Frédérick Gaudreau to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick, the 102nd overall selection in the coming draft.

Gaudreau was undrafted, signing with the Nashville Predators organization ahead of the 2014-15 season, making his debut with the Predators in 2016-17. It wasn’t until his move to the Wild ahead of the 2021-22 season that he broke out, scoring 14 goals and 44 points in 76 games.

In 2022-23, Gaudreau scored a career-high 19 goals, as well as 38 points in 82 games. His play dipped in 2023-24, scoring just five goals and 15 points in 67 games, but he bounced back in 2024-25, scoring 18 goals and 37 points in 82 games.

This move is beneficial for both teams, as the Wild clear Gaudreau’s $2.1 million cap hit for the next three seasons, while the Kraken get a productive middle-six forward.

Marc-Édouard Vlasic was bought out

It’s the end of an era in San Jose, as the Sharks placed Marc-Édouard Vlasic on waivers to buy out his contract.

Vlasic is a career Shark and will undoubtedly have his number 44 retired at some point in the future. In his 1,323 games with the Sharks, the left-shot defenceman scored 84 goals and 379 points, along with six goals and 39 points in 142 post-season games.

At one point, he was widely regarded as one of the best defensive defencemen in the league, helping the Sharks contend for his first 13 seasons in the league. Unfortunately, the Sharks were never able to win the Stanley Cup for Vlasic, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks also had numerous seasons that ended in the Western Conference Final, including in the 2019 post-season, the last time the Sharks made the playoffs.

Vlasic spent much of last season injured, playing just 27 games with a goal and three points. It’s unclear whether this is the end of Vlasic’s career or he’ll pursue a Cup with a contending team on a cheap contract like Ryan Suter. His contract was nearly impossible to move, as he had a cap hit of $7 million for the 2025-26 season. The Sharks also couldn’t retain his salary, as they’ve used all three retention spots.

There’s a Flames aspect to Vlasic’s career. The pick used to draft him, the 35th overall pick in the 2005 draft, was traded to the Sharks from the Flames. In return, the Flames received netminder Miikka Kiprusoff. Safe to say the trade worked out for both teams.