The Buffalo Sabres made a notable trade this week with the trading of winger J.J. Peterka. But the return on the deal for Peterka -- defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan -- isn't exactly earth-shattering. The Sabres also made news Friday afternoon with the re-signing of center Jack Quinn to a two-year, $6.75-million contract extension; but Quinn isn't yet a top-six forward at this stage in his NHL career, so news of his contract extension didn't garner a lot of headlines.

If you wanted an earth-shattering deal, you need only look at what two of Buffalo's Atlantic Division rivals -- the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs -- did on Friday. 

The Canadiens made the biggest move in advance of the NHL draft, landing star defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for Montreal's two first-round draft picks and left winger Emil Heineman, while the Maple Leafs pulled off one of the best bargains of the off-season when they signed star center John Tavares to a four-year, $17.55-million extension. 

This is what the Sabres are up against as they attempt to get back into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons. Not only do they have to clear their own internal bar of improvement, they also have to beat out teams that are seriously set on being better in 2025-26. 

The Leafs, of course, finished with the best record in the Atlantic this past season, while the Canadiens got into the post-season for the first time in four years. And the way things are shaping up, both Montreal and Toronto are quite likely to make it into the playoffs next season.

Sabres Blockbuster Trade With Utah Sends Disgruntled Winger To Mammoth For Defensive Depth, Son Of NHL Icon After watching teams around them make major moves already in the NHL's 2025 off-season, the Buffalo Sabres made a blockbuster deal of their own late Wednesday night, sending disgruntled winger J.J. Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for young winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesserling. And immediately after Peterka was acquired by Utah, he signed <a href="https://puckpedia.com/player/john-jason-peterka">a five-year contract extensipn with an average annual payday of $7.7 million</a>. That's something Peterka wouldn't do with the Sabres, and that's an unfortunate comment on where Buffalo is at as an organization right now.

You can see, then, why Sabres fans and media are expecting -- no, make that "demanding" -- that Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams to step up to the plate and take home-run swings to make his team better. With due respect to Doan, Kesselring and Quinn, we don't see any of those three players as being the difference-makers between the Sabres making and missing the playoffs next year. Adams needs to come up with more experienced talent in trades and free agency, because if he thinks this is enough, he's got another thing coming.

To be sure, there's plenty of time for Buffalo to do something of consequence. Free agency doesn't kick off until July 1, and before and after that date, the Sabres are free to make any trade they want.

But at the same time, you can't deny that there's pressure on Adams to get something done in terms of a roster upgrade. Sooner or later, the off-season game of musical chairs comes to an end, and the last thing the Sabres want is to be left holding the bag while everyone around them makes major moves.

Why Couldn't Sabres Beat Flyers' Offer For Trevor Zegras? The Anaheim Ducks put an end to the Trevor Zegras Saga Monday afternoon, dealing the young forward to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Ryan Poehling, the 45th pick in this year's NHL entry draft, and the Flyers' fourth-round pick in 2026. <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/the-philadelphia-flyers-get-an-early-steal-by-trading-for-trevor-zegras">The trade</a> was hugely underwhelming from <a href="http://thn.com/anaheim">Anaheim</a>'s perspective, as Poehling is nothing more than a fourth-line player, and the draft picks aren't in the area where the players drafted could be difference-makers anytime soon.

Thus, Sabres fans are well within their rights to want to see Adams get something done that is a clear upgrade. And whether that's by trading defenseman Bowen Byram, veteran winger Alex Tuch, or someone else, the point is something bigger has to be done than what Buffalo has done to this point.

The Atlantic is, in this writer's opinion, the most competitive division in the league. The Leafs and Canadiens are almost assuredly going to be playoff teams next year. The same goes for the defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Boston Bruins are likely to be retooling on the fly as they attempt to get back into the post-season picture, and the Ottawa Senators are likely to be a playoff team as well. And the Detroit Red Wings are desperate to end their own playoff-less streak.

No matter what happens, there are going to be many teams left bitterly disappointed as non-playoff teams next season. And if the Sabres aren't aggressive in the coming days, weeks and months, they're likely to be one of those bitter teams.

Sabres Potential Trade Partner: Pittsburgh Penguins The NHL's 2025 off-season is here, and teams are going to be jockeying for trades and free agents in the coming days and weeks. And in this ongoing <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres">THN.com Buffalo Sabres site</a> series, we've been examining potential trade partners for the Sabres.

So make no mistake -- the pressure on Adams is considerable, and he's already being beat to the punch by Atlantic teams around him. He needs to come up with something bigger and better than he's come up with thus far, and he needs to do it soon.