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The Buffalo Sabres have multiple trade candidates on the roster ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season, with all of JJ Peterka, Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch hearing their names swirling in rumors in recent weeks.
Probably the most notable of the trio is Peterka, who is coming off an excellent campaign where he posted 27 goals and a career-high 68 points in 77 games — good for second in team scoring. The 23-year-old is a pending restricted free agent on July 1, and is going to need a new contract, whether in Western New York or elsewhere, ahead of next season.
As The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday, there are multiple teams interested in the German's services, but Sabres management would prefer to get Peterka locked up instead, despite him wanting a fresh start elsewhere.
“There’s been all kinds of noise around JJ Peterka dating back to the trade deadline. The Sabres are definitely getting calls on him. I believe they’ve gotten trade offers, too. And the player would prefer a change of scenery at this point,” the hockey insider wrote.
“But Sabres GM Kevyn Adams views Peterka as a fantastic asset that they’ve drafted and developed and are heavily invested in. The Sabres want to keep him in a Sabres uniform if possible. That’s what some teams are hearing when they call Buffalo. But that won’t stop the calls from coming, because teams know the player isn’t overly happy. So this one’s hard to read, honestly.”
As Peterka isn't eligible for salary arbitration, the Sabres can't force him into signing a new contract. That could lead to an eventual breakup between the two sides this summer, although Buffalo could get a decent haul for Peterka, especially after the season he just had.
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JJ Peterka situation similar to Martin Necas', says LeBrun
As LeBrun reports, the Sabres could end up signing Peterka to a short-term deal, and then trading him during the season — similar to what happened with Martin Necas and the Carolina Hurricanes last year.
“This reminds me a bit of the Martin Necas situation from a year ago, when it seemed like Necas would get dealt but instead he signed a two-year deal and started the season with the Carolina Hurricanes, only to be traded a few months later,” wrote LeBrun. “I’m not saying that’s how this is going to play out, because I believe that the Sabres are being genuine in saying they’d rather keep Peterka. It also might be hard to ignore those trade offers if they get more appealing and include a top-four right-shot defenseman.”
Peterka is undoubtedly one of the best players on Buffalo's roster, and he is going to have a bright future in the National Hockey League regardless of what the resolution ends up being.
LeBrun believes the Sabres “may be busy over the next week or two” as they look to potentially make hockey deals to improve the roster. It'll be intriguing to see what those will look like as the franchise tries to break the longest postseason drought in North American professional sports in 2025-26.
