JJ Peterka, Lukas Reichel and Mario Ferraro are entrants to the Trade Targets list
Daily Faceoff Youtube: Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk go through some new names to the trade target list – Buffalo Sabres J.J. Peterka, Chicago Blackhawks Lukas Reichel and San Jose Sharks Mario Ferraro.
**NHLRumors.com transcription
Yaremchuk: “Speaking of young names, Frank, that’s kind of where I want to go on the fresh side of the trade targets list. A handful of really interesting players. The one that really stood out to me is JJ Peterka though in Buffalo. 17 goals in 55 games this year. Frank, he was almost a 30-goal guy last year. Why does Buffalo want to get rid of him?”
Seravalli: “Well, they don’t, is the answer. I don’t envy Kevin Adams at all. Think about the names that we’ve discussed so far this year: Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch, go through their list, Bowen Byram in our top 10. This has been a real tough year for the Sabres.
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But then you’ve got JJ Peterka, and he is a bona fide first-line player. He’s 23 years old, and he’s someone that I think is just beginning to scratch the surface. That said he’s due a big new contract. And I’d be real curious to take the temperature of all the players in Buffalo, not just Peterka. How intrigued, how interested are you in staying with the last place team in the East?
So okay, you say, well, that’s great, but he doesn’t really have a choice. He’s an RFA, not a UFA, and you’re correct, except we talked that this is going to be the summer of offer sheets, right? So he doesn’t sign, ends up being an offer sheet target, and all of a sudden, RFAs have a whole new lever to pull in their arsenal that really not many pulled before.
It’s not a new one, but it’s fresh, because we’ve seen two players transact very recently, and I think that has to be a huge fear for the Buffalo Sabre. So I’m told, and sources indicate that a number of teams have been calling the Buffalo Sabres and asking about J.J. Peterka. The Sabres have said, we’re not interested in trading him. However, I think that conversation is going to evolve, which is why he’s on my trade target.”
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Yaremchuk: “Lukas Reichel was the guy who I read his name and was like, whoa. Why are they open to trading him? He was a first-round pick not that long ago. And then I looked, I was like, oh, first first-round pick in 2020, that was five years ago. As crazy enough as that sounds. So that one, yeah, that one makes a bit of sense.
The other name, Frank, Mario Ferraro, 26 years old. Cost control that $3.25 million this year and next, and a guy who excels in his own end. It’s like, yeah, I can see a lot of contending teams going, ohh I will give up a lot more for that guy than I would for name the rental D man on the market.”
Seravalli: “Yeah, and you mentioned cost control. That’s maybe the most interesting part is the (Sharks) don’t have any salary retained transaction slots left. So if they’re going to move Mario Ferraro, and I think that teams have been calling and asking, and I think the Sabres are sorry, not the Sabres, the Sharks are ready and willing to deal. They’re ready to make things happen.
That getting him at $3.25 million like it’s not an absurd number, and teams view him as a great sort of four or five pivot. Can comfortably play on your second pair, can comfortably defend on your third pair as well, and he’s super well liked, brings a ton of energy. I think there’s a lot of reasons why a team would consider going after someone like Ferraro.
And we had Jesse Montano on, that’s what really got the wheels spinning yesterday. He talked about the connection from UMass between Cale Makar and Ferraro. I just mentioned how much I’m not a believer in Colorado’s second and third pairs. Well, maybe this is one of those guys that is a true great fit, and a tip of the cap to Jesse as well.” (The Avalanche did acquire Ryan Lindgren over the weekend)
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