Frank Seravalli’s latest Trade Targets list has a few newcomers and perhaps none more notable than Buffalo Sabres winger JJ Peterka.
Seravalli wrote that the Sabres are looking to shake up their group and are fielding a lot of calls about Peterka, though they aren’t exactly eager to move the 23-year-old.
Drafted by the Sabres in the second round of the 2020 draft, Peterka’s now in his third season in Buffalo, showing improvements offensively each and every year. He racked up 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games in his rookie season, breaking out with 28 goals and 50 points last year.
This season he’s up to 17 goals and 44 points in 55 games, pacing for a career high in points.
Peterka hits the Trade Targets like a wrecking ball, a 23-year-old first line winger with tons of untapped potential still. Sources say any team calling Buffalo has been met with resistance on Peterka, but the volume of calls has increased, and the amount of chatter around the league is growing louder. So why is he on the board? The Sabres haven’t done anything to shake up their team yet. He has significant value. He’s a pending RFA who will need a new contract, and oh by the way, he will potentially be an offer sheet target this summer.
Peterka finds himself 15th on the trade list, but he isn’t the only new name on the list. San Jose Sharks defenceman Mario Ferraro joined the list, as did Chicago Blackhawks winger Lukas Reichel.
Ferraro, coming in at No. 20, has one year left after this on a deal paying him $3.25-million. Seravalli noted how the 26-year-old is someone who, on the surface, the Sharks might want to hold onto and build around on the blue line, but that the Sharks “might be able to cash in on his value as a quality No. 5 defenseman who could play second or third pair comfortably.”
Reichel, who joined the list in the 27th spot, draws interest from teams “intrigued by his high-end speed and talent that will overlook his lack of consistency and compete, thinking they can turn him into a more complete player.” The 22-year-old was Chicago’s 17th overall selection in 2020, but has found himself healthy scratched not just as of late, but early in the season, too. Chicago, Seravalli added, prefers a hockey trade as they look to become competitive sooner rather than later.
Other news from around the NHL…
- The rumour mill has spun in recent weeks after Mikko Rantanen was acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes, with reports suggesting the team could potentially flip him if they are unable to come to an agreement to keep him in Raleigh. Seravalli, however, reported Thursday that may not be the case, with the Hurricanes putting a “franchise-record deal on the table,” and a belief that they would be comfortable keeping him in town to take a shot at a Stanley Cup.
- Montreal Canadiens centre Kirby Dach has been shut down for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Dach was injured last Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. Knee injuries aren’t knew for him, suffering ACL and MCL tears that limited him to just two games last year. He finishes his 2024-25 campaign with 10 goals and 22 points.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
