Report: Sabres trade JJ Peterka to Mammoth to acquire Kesselring, Doan
The 23-year-old Peterka is coming off consecutive 25-plus goal seasons, and was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next week. He is anticipated to already be in discussions on a new contract with Utah.
Doan, a 23-year-old winger, is the son of longtime Arizona Coyotes star Shane Doan, and his departure is the organization's latest move that separates this Salt Lake City chapter from the past. He had seven goals and 19 points in his rookie season with Utah last year.
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Kesselring, a 25-year-old defenseman, played alongside Doan for the US when it won the world championships in May for the first time since 1933. He completed his second full NHL season with seven goals and 29 points — both career highs.
The Sabres were expected to shake up their roster after a disappointing finish in Lindy Ruff's first season back with the team. Buffalo finished 14th in the Eastern Conference standings and extended its NHL-record playoff drought to a 14th season.
The Mammoth, meantime, acquire a promising offensive star while keeping their No. 4 pick in the NHL draft on Friday night.
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New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
NBA Draft surprises, explained: Ace Bailey's slight slip, Nets make odd reaches and more
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. To anyone on the internet: Please just give me a supercut of Adam Silver dapping up every drafted player before awkwardly posing for the cameras. It's one of my favorite things every single year. Jazz, Pelicans, Blazers shock NBA Draft Last night, the 2025 NBA Draft began the way everybody believed it would. Cooper Flagg fulfilled his destiny of being the No. 1 pick so he can save Nico Harrison's job become a great NBA player. Then, Dylan Harper went second overall to the Spurs, giving them a bevy of big guards that can create and cause issues before you even think about guarding Victor Wembanyama. Advertisement And while there weren't any big trades right away, the next two picks of V.J. Edgecombe going third overall to the 76ers and Kon Knueppel going to the Hornets at No. 4 were both things we knew could happen. After that? The draft gave us the big surprises we were looking for. I'll leave the winners and losers to Sam Vecenie, the best draft man in the game. For Bounce purposes, let's instead go with Toast 'Em or Roast 'Em for our breakdown of the big picks: Toast 'em: Jazz take Ace Bailey at No. 5 There was a ton of speculation about how Rutgers' Ace Bailey was trying to find his way to either Brooklyn or Washington to start his career. And he definitely didn't want to land with the Jazz. That did not deter Utah president of basketball operations Austin Ainge, the new lead front office executive. He scooped up Bailey with the fifth pick, and we quickly found out there wasn't a trade in the works. Ainge was going for the talent and the potential to mold Bailey into the next Jazz star. He just has too much talent to pass on. Roast 'em: Pelicans after No. 7 pick I truly loved the Pelicans grabbing Jeremiah Fears out of Oklahoma to be their point guard. Yes, you could argue there were other needs. However, Dejounte Murray won't be back until later in the season due to his Achilles injury, and Fears should thrive with the spacing at the NBA level. After that? The Pelicans made the most baffling trade of the night and then compounded that with the selection of Maryland's Derik Queen at 13th overall, despite employing Zion Williamson at the same position. What was the confounding trade, you ask? It's a few scrolls away. Toast 'em: Suns select Khaman Maluach at No. 10 I understand we've recently made fun of the Suns, but we should also commend them when they do something good. I doubt they believed the Duke product was going to be within their grasp at No. 10, but they altered their plans when he fell there. It's a great value pick, and he might be a top-five player from this draft. They also bought him time to develop slowly by trading the 29th pick and a future first for Mark Williams – the guy the Lakers traded for before rescinding the deal. Hey, they're in the same division now! Advertisement Roast 'em? Trail Blazers take Yang Hansen at 16 I think we should roast Portland for this, mostly because this was about as big of a shock as you could have seen last night. I loved the analysis from Vecenie and John Hollinger last night because Vecenie gave an earnest breakdown of why it was a reach and Hollinger was just outwardly dumbfounded. Yang was projected to be taken in the mid-to-late second round, so going in the middle of the first round is kind of ridiculous. (He's being called the Chinese Jokić. I remember years ago, Nemanja Nedović was called the Serbian Derrick Rose. To that, you may be asking yourself, 'Who?' Exactly.) I'd rather the Blazers have picked a better prospect here, and then tried to buy an early-to-mid second round pick to grab Yang then. Toast 'em: Wizards nailed both first-rounders The Wizards didn't reach to move up to fourth for Bailey. They didn't seem to want to part with any future first-round picks to do so. They were just fine taking Texas' Johnson at No. 6 instead, and he's going to provide them with a big-time scoring punch at the shooting guard position. He'll be a guy that can average 25 points per game within a few years. He can really shoot. Then, they ended up with Illinois prospect Will Riley at 21, which is a great wing to add to their stable. He needs to add some weight and get stronger, but he's going to be an excellent rotation guy. Roast 'em: Nets reached several times? The Nets went into last night with five first-round picks, and I didn't really like much of what they did with most of them. They reached for Egor Demin from BYU with the eighth pick. He's a special passer at 6-foot-8, but he can't shoot a lick. Best-case, I'd say he's Josh Giddey. They took French prospect Nolan Traoré at No. 19, and he's a nice project at point guard. But you just drafted Demin to be your playmaker? They took North Carolina's Drake Powell at No. 22, but he's a solid defensive wing who can't shoot. Asa Newell out of Georgia was still available. Ben Saraf from Israel at 26th overall is a pick I liked for them. I'm not a Danny Wolf guy, but getting the former Michigan Wolverine at No. 27 is technically good value for a guy projected mid-first round. Make sure you check out Vecenie and Hollinger give analysis for all 30 picks! Flagg doesn't end up with Nike or Adidas 👟 Winning bid. Did you know Cooper Flagg is sponsored by New Balance? This is how they got him. 🏀 Big change. Power forwards have been the most important position in the WNBA. Is it time to rethink that? 🏀 Another interview. The Knicks are looking to request another former head coach. This time, it's Pelicans assistant James Borrego. Advertisement 💰 Re-up time. The Rockets declined Fred VanVleet's $44.9 million team option but gave him a new deal worth $50 million over two years. 🧢 The design. The NBA Draft hat is part of the sacred photos for the big night. Here's how the look happens. 👔 Style grades. I don't know what you need to see more. Tre Johnson's shoes/socks combo or Jeremiah Fears' 🔥 suit. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. Digging deep into confounding Pelicans trade We've had some very interesting trades this week, but I think the Pelicans might have taken the cake. I was already confused as to why they wanted to send CJ McCollum out of town and bring in Jordan Poole. It's not really an upgrade, and you ended up tacking on an extra year of salary in the process. I guess that makes sense? Then, their draft-night deal with the Hawks left everybody wondering if newly hired president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and general manager Troy Weaver know that these moves are final once they're called into the league's front office. Here are the details: Queen is going to be a good pro, and he might even end up being an All-Star-caliber power forward in the league. That's not at all a bad ceiling for the 13th pick. I like that they valued him. The problem, though, is they have this guy named Williamson with three years and $126 million left on his deal. They pretty much play the same position. And, if you want to have any semblance of a defense, you're not going to play them together. Williamson's deal isn't guaranteed if he's waived before July 15, due to a games played clause. That's how it'll be for each of the next three years. They could also try to trade him, but there's not much value. That's not even that bad part of this deal. The bad part is the pick they gave up for next year's draft. The unprotected pick will belong to either New Orleans or Milwaukee. Whichever pick is better goes to Atlanta. The Pelicans do not project to be a playoff team next season. The West is really good, and this team is not reliable in the slightest. Secondly, the Bucks might not be any good! Their roster is a mess, and they're one extended absence by Giannis Antetokounmpo from this pick ending up in the top 10. Advertisement New Orleans giving up this unprotected pick is egregious. I understand and commend the Fears selection. The Queen pick is questionable, but you can make an argument for it on the surface. But to end up with this selection because you willingly just gave away an incredibly valuable pick to move from 23rd to 13th is ridiculous. This new front office is off to a bang. There is a ton of leftover talent in second round Tonight is Round 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft. We still have a ton of high-upside prospects remaining. I know what you're wondering: 'Aren't there supposed to be 30 picks in each round?' Well, the Knicks lost their 2025 second-round pick for tampering in the signing of Jalen Brunson. These are my favorite prospects left on the board: Rasheer Fleming | Saint Joseph's | Forward/Big I think the 3-point shot he sported as a junior is real enough, he can play some defense and he's a good rebounder with potential to become a great rotation guy. Chaz Lanier | Tennessee | Guard He can light it up from downtown. He shot 41.4 percent on over 500 3-point attempts during his final two college years. Noah Penda | France | Wing/Forward He's a physical wing who should be able to defend multiple positions. If he can hit the 3-point shot, he'll be a second-round steal. Maxime Raynaud | Stanford | Big He learned how to shoot a little bit from the outside, he can score, he's big and he's a good rebounder. At worst, he's your backup center. Ryan Nembhard | Gonzaga | Guard My favorite question asked to me about Nembhard was 'Why can't he be a T.J. McConnell?' His Pacers comparison wasn't even to his own brother! Don't forget to check out the players Sam Vecenie mocks for Round 2! Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
What's I'm hearing about the Wild: Offer for Peterka, latest on with Rossi and more
ST. PAUL, Minn. — In an offseason that carries the expectation that the Wild will hit home runs simply because the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout dead money charges are being significantly reduced, one of the big fish the Wild have pursued was traded elsewhere Wednesday night. As The Athletic has reported for weeks, JJ Peterka was one of the high-scoring wingers Minnesota — and several other teams — were pursuing. But the Buffalo Sabres dealt him to the Wild's Central Division rival, the Utah Mammoth, for right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward prospect Josh Doan. Peterka then promptly signed a five-year extension worth $7.7 million per. Advertisement So what's going on with the Wild as the NHL Draft approaches this weekend and free agency Tuesday? (The Wild are presently without a first-rounder and have four picks in total.) We'll have an opportunity to talk to Wild president and general manager Bill Guerin on Thursday at noon as a media contingency, and he's joining me when at 5 p.m. when I fill in for Dan Barreiro on KFAN later in the day (so tune in!). So we'll ask Guerin for all the details. But for now, here's what I'm hearing from league sources: You can bet several teams were surprised by the modest return for Peterka and felt they offered more. One had to be the Wild. The Wild offered center Marco Rossi as the starting point in any package and were willing to include another roster player and/or prospects and picks. But the Sabres weren't interested in adding another undersized forward, even though Rossi was so integral in the Wild making the playoffs and is coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons and career-high 60 points in just his second full season. The Sabres were especially focused on adding a right-shot defenseman. Obviously, the Wild weren't about to trade Brock Faber, whose $8.5 million/eight-year extension kicks in next season, and it's unclear if David Jiricek was offered or if that would have moved the needle over Kesselring. Guerin continues to tell teams he is not trading Rossi without a significant center or equivalent winger from a production standpoint as the main return. Several teams have shown interest in Rossi, but in a league where the cap is rising and plenty of teams have added cap space, the playoff contenders interested in him are mostly offering futures. Unless Guerin could flip those picks in a subsequent deal, that doesn't move the needle. So there is a chance Rossi stays put and then the Wild spend the offseason trying to bridge the gap on a new contract. But it theoretically could be a long, played-out contract dispute since Rossi doesn't have arbitration rights, meaning a third party won't be able to give Rossi a one- or two-year settlement. Advertisement The problem will be the average annual value of a contract. The Wild initially offered Rossi a five-year, $25 million contract earlier this winter. That wasn't accepted. Rossi countered with a shorter term at a higher AAV. That wasn't accepted. The Wild have no interest in offering Rossi a longer term in the $6 or $7 million range. Essentially, the Wild like Rossi at a certain number. They recently offered Rossi a bridge deal at an AAV at less than $5 million. That, too, was rejected. On a three-year term, Evolving-Hockey estimates Rossi is a $5.262 million player this summer. On a five-year term, the site has him at $6.067 million. On a seven-year term, it's at $6.688 million. Last summer, the Carolina Hurricanes wanted to trade Martin Necas, but he wouldn't agree to an extension with the handful of teams Carolina found as landing spots. In the end, the two sides begrudgingly agreed to a two-year deal worth $6.5 million. It's hard to believe Guerin gives in and offers a contract that high, but at the end of the day, a similar philosophy could be the end game. In other words, Rossi and the Wild agree on a two- or three-year term and Rossi either continues to live life producing for the Wild or it buys Guerin more time to find Rossi a new home (Necas was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the Mikko Rantanen deal) where he can excel and eventually hit that long-term contract. So, we'll see where this goes, but as of now, it seems more likely Rossi isn't dealt if Guerin holds firm on wanting a significant return so he could replace Rossi's production. It's likely the Wild make Brock Boeser a contract offer when he becomes a free agent 11 a.m. Tuesday, but this is not the done deal that has been reported. Boeser, who is currently vacationing in Italy and returns to the Twin Cities on Monday, is keeping an open mind when it comes to which teams come after him Tuesday. It's expected he's going to get several different types of offers, from short-term deals with playoff like the Wild, to longer-term deals from teams that are more building and hope to be on the ride. After Rossi, there aren't several roster players that the Wild are looking to move. Their blue line will be pretty much set after they re-sign Declan Chisholm, but the Wild hope to add a couple of forwards to the mix this summer. Ryan Hartman currently has a no-move clause until Monday night. The Wild could theoretically look to trade him this offseason once he turns in his 15-team no-trade list Tuesday. Advertisement One player the Wild have talked to other teams about is center Freddy Gaudreau, who has three more years left on his contract at $2.1 million. If the Wild traded him, that could put them in the market for another right-shot center. Two players the Wild have inquired about are the New York Islanders' Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has one year left on his contract at $5 million, and Colorado's Charlie Coyle, the former Wild forward who has one year left on his contract at $5.25 million. Pageau is especially intriguing. He's a perennial 40-point guy who is excellent in the faceoff circle (59.6 percent last season and over 50 percent every year of his career) and on the penalty kill. Some free-agent bottom-six centers the Wild could also pursue regardless of whether they shoot left or right include Sean Kuraly, Nico Sturm, Radek Faksa, Colin Blackwell, Luke Kunin and Nick Bjugstad. (Photo of Marco Rossi: David Berding / Getty Images)
New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
A late-night blockbuster trade. Plus: Why you need to care about this NHL draft
Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic's hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. I don't know about you, but I didn't get a whole lot of sleep thanks to the Mammoth and Sabres pulling off a blockbuster just before midnight last night. Let's break it down… We'd been hearing rumblings about J.J. Peterka's availability for weeks now, going back to the combine in Buffalo when I listed both these teams as likely to be big players this offseason. The player wasn't happy on the struggling Sabres, and he had real leverage after back-to-back seasons clearing 25 goals at a young age. Utah, meanwhile, had acres of cap space – more than $18 million, fifth most in the league before the deal – and a new market and owner that wanted to go big. Mission accomplished, Ryan Smith. Did the Sabres get enough – power forward prospect Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring – for one of their best young players? Our trade graders, including yours truly, aren't so sure, but a lot will hinge on Doan's development and Kesselring's ability to absorb tough minutes alongside Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power. This deal certainly sets the table for a massive draft weekend, where you can expect more teams to be very aggressive on the trade front. More on that from our insiders further down. Without a huge name headlining the 2025 NHL entry draft class, there hasn't been as much buzz around this one as in past seasons. With Round 1 set to open tomorrow night in Los Angeles, however, I wanted The A's prospect experts, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, to weigh in on why you should care about this draft, despite the lack of a generational talent at the top. Advertisement For a more casual hockey fan, how would you sell this draft in terms of the highlights or interesting things to watch for? Pronman: After Matthew Schaefer goes (first overall), there's a blob of forwards in the 2-9 range. We don't have any high degree of confidence as to how these forwards, almost all of them premium young centers, will go. As well, there is a major question mark among them in Roger McQueen, who is a top 5 talent but suffered from a back injury most of the season. Wheeler: I think the story of this draft is that it hasn't been written yet. Last year, you had Macklin Celebrini and then this rare collection of high-end defensemen that you knew were going to shape the way the draft was viewed in five or 10 years. Next year, we know Gavin McKenna is around the corner. This year feels much less certain, which should create a fascinating continued conversation. There are different potential outcomes as to which players will be the defining players of this class. How close will the top three picks be to helping the Islanders, Sharks and Blackhawks – who pick 1-2-3 – next season? Pronman: Schaefer and Michael Misa (ranked No. 1 and No. 2) could play in the NHL right away. The rest of the top prospects likely need a year or two outside the league. Wheeler: What Corey said. Are there any dark horse picks who could go 10th or later that you think have a chance to turn into stars? Pronman: I'm a big fan of Victor Eklund, who we don't expect to go in the top 10. I think he has a lot of similarities to Seth Jarvis at the same age. Wheeler: I've given winger Ryker Lee (projected to go in the late-first or early-second) one of the highest skill grades in the class and believe he's one of the only prospects likely to be taken outside the top 20 who is talented enough to become a productive, top-six, power play type if he hits some development checkpoints. Advertisement Here's our latest draft big board for more on how Corey and Scott see things playing out. And here's the full draft order going into night one. Speaking of the draft … Why the Canucks rolled the dice on trading for Evander Kane and what the Oilers are up to after dumping his contract. Ranking every NHL team's salary-cap situation, from best to worst. Who has the most money to spend as we sit five days from free agency? (Spoiler: The Sharks are loaded.) Where could Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson get dealt, given his $10 million contract? Pierre LeBrun has been Mr. Rumblings of late and his latest doesn't disappoint with a ton of good nuggets from around the league, including notes on Mitch Marner, Claude Giroux and the John Gibson trade we've been waiting decades for. 'The Athletic Hockey Show' serves up an erudite draft preview show, looking at if the Sharks might skip Michael Misa and take Anton Frondell as No. 2 instead. We know a lot of NHL teams are flush with cap space. And we know free agency is underwhelming (but still check out the big board anyway). Which means the trade market should be extra busy here in the days to come, as clubs attempt to embiggen their rosters starting at the draft tomorrow. I checked in with our insiders – Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston – and a top NHL player agent on which teams they think will be leading the charge this weekend. LeBrun: Edmonton. They're probably the team given the urgency internally to sign Evan Bouchard before July 1, still move more money (Viktor Arvidsson), find some cheaper forward alternatives, and likely tweak the goaltending. It's a lot to do. Johnston: Montreal. GM Kent Hughes has gone shopping on draft week before and has first-round picks to move as he pursues a top-six forward. Advertisement Anonymous agent: Pittsburgh. They're attempting to be very active. In addition to Karlsson, a guy like Bryan Rust could bring a return that adds a lot to their asset base. Exciting stuff. Flip your The Athletic app NHL notifications on this weekend, as it's going to be a busy one. 💡Mirtrivia answers: Question 1 is my gift to our oldtimers. Many will recall the Islanders taking Rick DiPietro first in 2000, making him just the second goalie ever drafted with the top pick. But do you remember the 1972 and 1973 drafts when they set the table for an 1980s dynasty by taking Billy Harris (who was later traded for Butch Goring) and Denis Potvin? Question 2, however, should be a relatively easy one: Aaron Ekblad to the Panthers, drafted from the Barrie Colts back in 2014. The other three defensemen to go No. 1 in the past 28 years? Erik Johnson (2006), Rasmus Dahlin (2018) and Owen Power (2021). Pretty good company for Schaefer, who is a kid worth rooting for. 📫 Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. (Top photo of J.J. Peterka: Bill Wippert / NHLI via Getty Images)
