24-year-old winger was dealt from Utah to Boston exactly one year after Buffalo traded him to the Mammoth
The Buffalo Sabres were at a contract impasse last summer with JJ Peterka after the forward had finished second in scoring with 68 points going into his contract year. Instead of signing him to an extension, GM Kevyn Adams traded the winger to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan.
Exactly one year after signing a five-year, $38.5 million deal with Utah and scoring 25 goals, the Mammoth dealt Peterka to the Boston Bruins for a pair of first-round picks, a move that surprised the 24-year-old forward.
"It was a huge surprise. It was like one of those things I never expected," Peterka said during the NHL/NHLPA European Media Tour earlier this week. "I was watching the draft. I was actually surprised. I got the call, and I was like, 'okay, good to know'. It was like shocking at first, but (I'm) super excited after just seeing like who's (on the Bruins)."
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Peterka joins a slew of former Sabres, including Casey Mittelstadt, Connor Clifton, Nikita Zadorov, Henri Jokiharju, and Will Borgen, as well as Adams (hired as a special advisor to GM Don Sweeney) and German bench boss Marco Sturm, something the Munich native thinks will help him get back on track.
"Having like a native speaking coach is something special, and I think it's gonna help a lot too." Peterka said. "Just getting my confidence back.....having a chance to settle in, I think is gonna help a lot."
In spite of a similar goal total last season, Peterka dropped from 68 to 47 points with Utah, while averaging just under 16 minutes per game. In the postseason, he went scoreless and saw his average ice time drop to 13:38 in the playoffs. It is possible that the offensively gifted winger will slot in on the left side with Bruins leading scorer David Pastrnak, adding a boost to the Boston offense next season.
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