Sabres Turned Down Major Offers for Peterka Before Trade with Mammoth

The Buffalo Sabres’ decision to trade rising star JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth has sparked widespread debate, and now a little controversy after new revelations from NHL insider Frank Seravalli. Speaking on the DFO Rundown, Seravalli detailed that the Sabres turned down multiple high-value offers before accepting a relatively modest return of defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.

🚨UPDATE🚨

“There was just such a big market for JJ Peterka”

Per @frank_seravalli:

– A team had two 1st Round pick plus two rostered players on the table

– At one point Jordan Kyrou from the Blues

– Noah Dobson from New York Islanders

This to go along with @RussoHockey… pic.twitter.com/NwZfGRzgna

— 2 Goalies 1 Mic (@2Goalies1Mic) June 26, 2025

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“There was just such a big market for JJ Peterka,” Seravalli noted, emphasizing that one team reportedly offered two first-round picks and two roster players. Other proposals included Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues, Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, and Marco Rossi plus assets from the Minnesota Wild. This is not to say that any of these players were offered one-for-one. More, these were players mentioned in trade discussions, potentially multi-player deals.

Considering Peterka is coming off a career-best 68-point campaign and has just signed a five-year deal with Utah, the actual trade package from Buffalo seems underwhelming by comparison. Seravalli says fans and even front-office staff for the Sabres were “underwhelmed” with the return.

GM Kevyn Adams picked up two solid pieces, but if he could have done much better and didn’t, what’s the reason?

Why Do the Sabres Consistently Seem to Lose Trades?

Adams is taking heat, and even with Jarmo Kekalainen now there as an advisor, the choice to trade Peterka for a less prominent return has raised red flags about the franchise’s direction. For some reason, the team seems to always come out on the losing end of trades, giving fans little faith that if someone like Bowen Byram is moved, the return will be insufficient. Chris Johnston says as many as eight teams are in touch with the Sabres for Byram.

Whether the move was driven by internal strategy, financial limitations, or misjudgment of Peterka’s market value, the fallout has been swift.

Whether Seravalli is sensationalizing the potential returns, Sabres fans are left wondering what could have been had Adams pulled the trigger on one of the more lucrative deals reportedly on the table.

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