A number of Buffalo Sabres’ names have come up in recent weeks as being possible trade bait, or rumored to be dissatisfied with the direction the franchise is taking given that they own one of the longest ever playoff droughts in modern hockey.
The latest to hit the rumor mill is forward JJ Peterka, who despite the general malaise among the Sabres, put together a tidy season with 27 goals, 41 assists and 68 points in all while remaining relatively healthy playing 77 games and averaging 18:11 of ice time. The season before was his breakout campaign as he put together 28 goals and 22 assists and featured in all 82 games playing 16:24 a night.
Depending on which media source you reference, Peterka is unhappy in Buffalo, or not considered part of the future core, or something somewhere in between. And with this being silly season, of course his name is being thrown about as trade bait for anyone from Martin Necas to any one of the top picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
An interesting snippet that came out in all the Peterka chatter is that Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams is notoriously difficult to negotiate with, and that it’s particularly difficult to get him to say yes to a deal (from Frank Seravalli, via Daily Faceoff). That pretty much goes against one of the biggest criticisms that the fanbase has had of GMKA, because it often comes up that Buffalo often get fleeced in trades made.
The 23-year-old could also be a target of an offer sheet this summer should any of the NHL teams actually try to start leveraging that weapon, so Buffalo might get forced into making a decision sooner than later.
All that said, what do you think the Sabres should do with Peterka this summer? Trade him, and for what? Picks, players, a combination? Or should they extend him and make him part of the future core with possibly a bridge deal? Or do nothing, since technically they don’t have to? (Oof, completely forgot for a second that he’s an RFA now so this is not an option)