Rangers Showing Interest in Sabres’ J.J. Peterka
Pro Hockey Rumors
MARCH 6, 2025 AT 9:33 PM CDT | BY GABRIEL FOLEY 7 COMMENTS
The Buffalo Sabres aren’t expected to be much of a focus at this year’s Trade Deadline, but one young star has seen his name circulate around rumors. Now, the New York Rangers are joining in on the race for top-line Sabres winger JJ Peterka per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The report of New York’s interest was seconded by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, but downplayed by Arthur Staple of The Athletic, painting an enticing picture headed into Friday’s Trade Deadline.
Lysowski adds that New York’s assistant coach, Michael Peca, worked closely with Peterka during the winger’s only year in the minor leagues. Peterka scored a team-leading 28 goals and 68 points in 70 AHL games under the guidance of Peca and then-head coach Seth Appert.
The likelihood of Peterka moving at the deadline seems slim-to-none. The 23-year-old has turned into a perennial star for the Sabres, fighting his way onto the top line at the end of last season and vindicating it with a fantastic performance this year. He has 18 goals and 49 points in 58 games – the third-most scoring on the Sabres behind Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Peterka is on an 82-game pace of 69 points, which would blow his career-high 50 points set last season out of the water. He’s also on pace for 25 goals this season, which wouldn’t quite top his 28 goals last year but nonetheless shows his knack for finding the back of the net.
Peterka has totaled 58 goals and 131 points in 219 career games since making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season. He not only seems like a cornerstone of the Sabres lineup for years to come – but also stands as the team’s best draft steal in recent memory. Buffalo drafted Peterka with the 34th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, coupling him with Jack Quinn as the team’s breakaway stars from that class. Peterka has since played in the most NHL games, scored the most goals, and recorded the most points of anyone drafted outside of that year’s first round.
Suffice it to say, a trade for Peterka would need to be exorbitant. The Sabres are in the midst of a 13-season playoff drought – a cold streak that paces all North American major men’s sports leagues. Peterka has been a piece that’s sparked the offense in the midst of that drought, though the team is still floundering despite their young winger’s success. Lysowski added that Buffalo will want NHL players back for any moves they make, which could be the hang-up that pushes any deal involving Peterka to the off-season at least.
New York may be able to swing a deal by offering up forward Alexis Lafreniere, who went first-
overall in Peterka’s draft year but has struggled to find the same hot start to his career. Lafreniere has 14 goals and 35 points in 62 games this season, and set his career-highs in scoring with 28 goals and 57 points last year. The Rangers would likely have to add more to balance the equation, even despite Lafreniere’s draft pedigree, which could pull players like K’Andre Miller or Braden Schneider into the fold. Schneider could be particularly enticing, offering a right-shot that Buffalo sorely needs. Even then, it seems draft capital may be in order to land a top young player who has only grown more from season to season.
The Rangers have shown no shyness in making big moves this season. Since the start of the year, they’ve parted ways with Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba, Jimmy Vesey, and Victor Mancini. They’ve managed that overall without losing too many future assets – save for the young Mancini – which could set up more fire sale options. The Rangers added Brendan Brisson to a scant prospect pool on Thursday. He’ll join Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, Adam Sykora, and Lucas Edmonds as the team’s top prospects. All options are wingers with bottom-six upside at least, creating a bit of a logjam in the Rangers pipeline. Acquiring Peterka – maybe on the back of one of these prospects – surely wouldn’t solve that logjam, but it would give New York a major upgrade over their promising-but-long-drawn options right now.
BUFFALO SABRES| NHL| NEW YORK RANGERS| NEWSSTAND| PLAYERS| PROSPECTS
J.J. PETERKA
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The NHL trade deadline can set teams up for a long playoff run or success in the long term. It can also be a time of huge mistakes.
Trading young players and future assets for immediate help can pay off for teams looking to take the next step – just look at the Vegas Golden Knights, which have traded most of their first-round draft prospects and won the Stanley Cup in 2023. Not every pick or prospect pans out, so it’s about balancing the risk with the need to commit when a team is in prime position to chase the Cup.
But there are some teams this year that have young players making an impact in the NHL or have high potential and surfaced in trade speculation. Trading these players would be massive swings that will likely backfire.
The Sabres are front and center in this regard, but the Kings, Devils and Islanders also have players who are topics of trade speculation. If they trade these players, whoever gets them should be thrilled that their former team made a potential costly mistake.
Let’s take a closer look at the players in question.
When will the Sabres learn that keeping the good players is how you win?
They’ll likely miss the playoffs for a 14th-straight season, largely because they’ve made the same mistake of trading someone as he’s entering his prime, and that player finds another level elsewhere. They didn’t let Jack Eichel get the surgery he wanted, leading to a trade request. They moved on from Sam Reinhart, just for him to turn into a true star with the Florida Panthers. Rasmus Ristolainen found his form after Buffalo traded him. It’s become a meme at this point.
If the trade speculation about JJ Peterka is true, 31 other teams would covet him in an instant. His pace, energy, relentless motor and goal-scoring ability are all highly desirable traits. He had 28 goals last season, and he’s on pace for about 25 this year. At 23 years old, the sky is the limit for the young stud. Trading him would make little to no sense.
Cozens, meanwhile, popped off for 31 goals and 68 points just two years ago but has regressed during the past two years. Having just turned 24, Cozens is entering the best years of his career. He’s shown the offensive capability needed to be a driver, but as has been the case with many players in the past, something has soured. The Sabers must figure out what’s going on and build Cozens back up rather than using him as trade bait as a buyer.
Trading either player could result in the Sabres giving up an effective forward with 30-goal ability. It’s time for the Sabres to develop this group properly. There comes a point in time when the players are no longer the problem.
Trading either of these guys is like the classic Family Guy sketch, where Peter has a choice between a boat or a mystery box. He chooses the mystery box because it could be anything, even a boat. The lesson here is to just keep the boat.
Take out the fact that Byfield was drafted second overall, and a 22-year-old center who had 55 points last season and could reach 50 points again would be highly regarded.
Byfield has flashes of high-end playmaking, a wicked shot and high-end skating ability as a 6-foot-5, 225-pound player who can play center. That type of player would be in any NHL team’s core.
The Los Angeles Kings clearly look to be in win-now mode, and that seems to be the only reason for even considering moving Byfield. But there isn’t a player on the market at the moment who would make sense for the Kings trading Byfield. They need to add a game-changer who can come in and change the next couple of years for the Kings offensively. Byfield could be that centerpiece up front as they transition away from the Kopitar era of the team.
Trading Byfield seems poised to be the kind of move the Kings lose in the long term, with such a limited upside to whatever the return is. If the Kings get past the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and any other Western Conference squad, it will likely be because of Byfield taking an important step.
Could LA Be A Trade Deadline Landing Spot for Mikko Rantanen? As we approach the March 7th NHL trade deadline, the chatter surrounding Carolina Hurricane forward Mikko Rantanen continues to ramp up.
When the Devils selected Simon Nemec second overall in the 2022 NHL draft, many felt they made a mistake by passing over Shane Wright and Logan Cooley. At the time, the Devils felt that because they already had Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, they didn’t want to create a logjam at center.
While we can revisit the draft choice another day, the Devils found themselves with a blueline logjam, which reportedly frustrated Nemec, who keeps switching between the NHL and AHL this season. He only has 14 NHL games under his belt this season, including two in March due to an injury to Jonas Siegenthaler.
Nemec spent 60 games in the NHL last season, so it was expected he would play for the Devils full-time this year after a solid rookie season. Nemec’s frustration is warranted, but instead of moving the young blueliner, the Devils must find a way to get him into the lineup more consistently. They could provide him with some excellent development time and give him a chance to face NHL competition.
This one is simple. The Devils drafted Nemec just over two years ago. They need to give the 21-year-old defender time to develop and a chance to prove himself at the NHL level. They can’t lose him for pennies on the dollar.
NHL Trade Deadline Central 2025: Trade Tracker, Analysis, Speculation, Lists And More One of the most anticipated times on the hockey calendar is here with NHL trade deadline week.
A 25-year-old, 6-foot-4, right-shot defender who averaged 56 points over the last three years is a piece you build around.
The fact Dobson’s name surfaced in trade rumors last month after he changed agents seems asinine. The fact the trade chatter decreased since then is more reasonable, but it hasn’t disappeared. Despite having a down year with 24 points in 49 games as a pending RFA, Dobson is one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, and he’s been in the discussion for Team Canada at the Olympics next year.
The Islanders need young talent, and Dobson is within the age range they’ll need moving forward. He has some defensive flaws, but when he’s at his best, his offensive impact is among the best from NHL defensemen.
Dobson would be a massive get for any team. The issue for the Islanders is that as soon as they trade him, they will have a massive hole on the roster and will be on the hunt for a right-handed defender with offensive upside who is entering the prime of their career. Just keep Dobson.
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JJ Peterka, LW, And Dylan Cozens, C, Buffalo Sabres
Quinton Byfield, C/W, Los Angeles Kings
Simon Nemec, D, New Jersey Devils
Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders
Penguins Linked to Young Sabres Forward
The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins are two of the bigger disappointments in the NHL this season. The Sabres reside in the basement of the Eastern Conference, while the Penguins stare down their first top-10 draft pick in over a decade. Each team has eyes towards the future but is taking differing approaches to getting there.
The Sabres and Penguins could make ideal trade partners before the 2025 Trade Deadline. Pittsburgh’s season-long plan has been to acquire young, under-team-controlled players who need a fresh start. They’ve already added players like P.O. Joseph, Cody Glass, and Philip Tomasino to their roster and could have their eyes on Sabres forward JJ Peterka. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Pens would love to add the scoring winger.
“I’ve heard Pittsburgh has asked about some of Buffalo’s young players,” he said. “Like Peterka, that’s a big price, if it ever happens…But that guy’s got Pittsburgh written all over him.”
Peterka would be a welcomed addition to the Penguins lineup. The 23-year-old German winger has been a rock-solid forward since making his NHL debut. Last season was a breakout offensive campaign for him, scoring 28 goals and 50 points in 82 games.
“I think they’ve asked Buffalo periodically this year about some of their younger guys, AHL guys that look like they’re going to be players,” he said. “I continue to think that’s what they’re looking at.”
The Sabers’ question is whether they are willing to move Peterka. The Sabres are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the 14th straight season. Their organization is stuck in limbo despite having plenty of talent on the roster and developing. Moving on from a 23-year-old scorer isn’t exactly what winning teams do, but a fresh start for Peterka might be the best thing for the player and the Sabres. If so, the Penguins are the team to watch in the final days before the deadline.
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