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JJ Peterka, Buffalo Sabres (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Rangers Should Trade for Sabres’ Peterka, Rather Than Send an Offer Sheet

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jesse Courville-Lynch | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 4:25 PM ET

The New York Rangers are expected to be quite aggressive this offseason, and with some recent moves that indicate they’re planning to spend big in free agency, one player has come up as a potential target for them. Buffalo Sabres forward John-Jason “JJ” Peterka has had his name tossed around in trade rumours since last season, despite conflicting reports that the Sabres have zero interest in moving him, nor were the Rangers connected to him at any point. He is a pending restricted free agent (RFA) who might face an offer sheet from interested teams, but if the Rangers are truly interested, they should explore trade options rather than an offer sheet.

Peterka, who is 23 years old, scored 27 goals and added 41 assists for 68 points through 77 games this season, which comes out to a 0.89 points-per-game average. Throughout his career, he has scored 67 goals and added 83 assists for 150 points through 238 games, which comes out to a 0.63 points-per-game average. He was drafted 34th overall in the second round by the Sabres in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft after a season in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany, where he scored seven goals and added four assists for 11 points through 42 games.

He is a strong forward who seems to be getting better offensively every season and could be a solid addition for the Rangers, who seem to be focused on the future. After moving out Jacob Trouba last season, on top of trading Kreider recently, the team seems poised to get younger and be competitive now, while being a contending team for many seasons to come.

Peterka could put them in a position to do that, but the Rangers would be better off trying to get a trade done before the draft. The main reason is that their 2026 second-round pick doesn’t belong to them, which limits their options for an offer sheet unless they want to ridiculously overpay him and force the Sabres’ hand. Otherwise, the Sabres probably match it and retain Peterka.

What Would a Trade Look Like?

The Sabres don’t seem interested in trading Peterka unless the offer coming their way is enticing enough to move on from him. Realistically, the Rangers would have to give up their 2026 first-round pick, their 2026 third-round pick, Brennan Othmann, and another prospect to get a deal done. They have the cap space available to them to extend Peterka for as long as he wants and for as much as he wants, and considering the roster shakeup they’ve been trying to do over the past several months, this wouldn’t be a surprising move from them at all.

Alternatively, the Rangers could try and get their second-round pick back and send an offer sheet, but it’s likely getting matched by the Sabres. If they send an offer sheet worth between $7,020,114 and $9,360,153, they would have to fork over their first, second, and third-round picks in 2026. If they wanted to give Peterka north of $11,700,193 annually, where they would give up four first-round picks, they would have to get their second-round pick back to have a realistic shot at not getting matched. The St. Louis Blues reacquired their necessary picks last summer to offer sheet Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, so it’s possible more teams consider that option this summer.

At the end of the day, it would be smarter for the Rangers to make a trade and skip over the offer sheet issue. The Sabres do have plenty of leverage in any trade negotiations, but if the Rangers push hard enough and want Peterka on their team for the 2025-26 season, they should be willing to overpay a bit. Realistically, it’s a long shot for them to be able to acquire him before free agency opens, but nothing is impossible.

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