Trade grades: Mammoth win for Utah

Utah Trade Grade: A

Utah, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, spent what felt like a generation in perpetual rebuild mode. That was a result of nonstop wheel spinning while the former Arizona Coyotes played small ball as a result of a nightmarish financial situation. 

It ultimately resulted in the Coyotes being able to collect assets for years, and now they (as Utah) can start cashing those in. In this case, Utah acquired a premium player without giving up premium assets. 

In terms of actual on-ice value, Peterka is a smooth playmaker who can slot in either at center or the wing. He comes from a high-event system in Buffalo. According to Natural Stat Trick, 424 forwards played at least 300 minutes this season in the NHL. Peterka was 410 of 424 in terms of team goals allowed on-ice per 60 minutes. Conversely, he was third out of the 424 forwards in team goals scored on-ice per 60 minutes. 

He's an exciting player coming into a much better situation, surrounded by young, breakout talent in Utah's top six. His addition likely gives Utah an elite, playmaking forward on each of its top two lines.

Perhaps the only downside of this trade is that Utah got smaller, at least for the moment. Utah does have quite a bit of size in its pipeline, with 6-foot-6-inch winger Daniil But and 6-foot-5-inch defenseman Dmitri Simashev likely closing in on being NHL-ready. 

It's a massive win for Peterka. He escapes Buffalo when, by all accounts, the Sabres didn't want to deal him. Then he signed a five-year deal worth $7.7 million per season, which will walk him to unrestricted free agency in the prime of his career.

Buffalo Trade Grade: C+

Before the trade, Frank Seravalli had reported on the podcast "DFO Rundown" that the Sabres were adamant about getting a right-handed defenseman in return for Peterka.

Michael Kesselring is a 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound, 25-year-old right-handed defenseman coming off a very nice season where he excelled at 5-on-5 in somewhat sheltered minutes. 

Among the team's regular defensemen, he finished first in fewest high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes (8.8), according to Natural Stat Trick. For this to be a win for the Sabres, the expectation has to be that Kesselring will play on the right side of either Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power. If he can continue to thrive in an expanded role, this will be an excellent get for the Sabres.

Josh Doan is a 6-foot-2-inch, 198-pound right-shot winger who is 23, still on his entry-level deal, and has shown limited offense so far in his career. It's a decent bet that the 2021 second-round selection still has more runway to improve as a bottom-six or middle-six winger, but he certainly won't be replacing the offense Peterka provided at 5-on-5 or the power play. 

If GM Kevyn Adams were under less pressure to turn around the Sabres, owners of the longest North American playoff drought (tied with the NFL's New York Jets), it's plausible that he could have extracted more value for Peterka. Buffalo — and Adams — can't afford to wait to see how a top pick in this year's draft might turn out.