The Boston Bruins have completed a trade to acquire forward JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth. The deal, finalized on Friday night, involved the Bruins sending two first-round draft picks to the Mammoth.
The Mammoth received the No. 23 pick in Friday’s draft and a 2028 first-round pick. The 2028 pick was originally owned by the Florida Panthers and is top-10 protected. This move comes one year after Peterka signed a significant contract with the Mammoth.
Peterka, a Munich native, joined the Mammoth on June 26, 2025, after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres. On the same day, he signed a five-year contract valued at $38.5 million. Despite this long-term agreement, the Mammoth decided to trade Peterka a year later.
The forward has a history of strong offensive production, coming off three consecutive seasons with 25 goals. In the 2025-26 season, his first with the Mammoth, Peterka recorded 25 goals and 47 assists in 82 games, averaging 15:59 of ice time per appearance. His performance included 20 five-on-five goals, which was the second-highest on the Utah roster, behind only Dylan Guenther.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney highlighted Peterka’s offensive capabilities, noting his “elite shot.” Sweeney also mentioned Peterka’s versatility, stating he “plays both wings” and “could probably play with a couple different types of centers.” This acquisition is expected to provide the Bruins with much-needed top-six speed and skill, elements they aimed to address this offseason.
Peterka’s role and contract details
Peterka’s contract with the Bruins has four years remaining, with an annual cap hit of $7.7 million. This financial commitment will impact the Bruins’ remaining cap space, particularly concerning free agent Viktor Arvidsson, who is set to become a free agent on July 1.
Coach Marco Sturm has several options for deploying Peterka. He could utilize the left-shot player on his strong side on the No. 1 line alongside David Pastrnak, or he could place him on his off-wing on the second line. Regardless of his specific placement, Peterka is expected to inject a faster pace into the Bruins’ game, an element the team has reportedly been lacking.
Sweeney confirmed that Sturm is familiar with Peterka’s playing style, drawing on personal knowledge and insights from former colleagues, despite Peterka not having played under Sturm in international competitions. Peterka’s ability to contribute on the power play was also noted by Sweeney, who indicated that Peterka could offer “another look on the elbows in the power-play situation,” despite his power-play minutes dipping last year.
During the 2025-26 season, Peterka averaged 1:57 of power-play time per game, primarily with Utah’s No. 2 unit. He did not participate in penalty-killing duties.
Previous team transitions and performance
Peterka’s move to the Bruins marks his third organization in 365 days, a detail that Sweeney acknowledged as a potential cautionary sign. He was originally a second-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2020. Peterka spent four seasons with the Sabres organization before being traded to the Mammoth on June 25, 2025, in exchange for defenceman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
Before his trade to the Mammoth, Peterka achieved a career-high of 68 points with the Sabres, averaging 18:11 of ice time per outing. Sweeney commented on Peterka’s 2024-25 production with the Sabres, stating, “He was asked to drive a lot of offense. He has the ability to do that.”
His first year with the Mammoth saw a slight dip in both production and workload. In the playoffs, Peterka did not record a point in six games as Utah was eliminated in the first round by the Vegas Golden Knights. Sweeney noted that Peterka’s role in Utah became “a little more complementary” due to the team’s “top-heavy” roster and abundance of skilled forwards such as Guenther, Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz.
With the acquisition of Peterka, the Bruins have addressed their need for a forward and can now concentrate on strengthening their defensive right side. Sweeney indicated that the team is open to exploring the trade market and considering free agents like Rasmus Andersson, although the commitment to Peterka will affect available funds. The Mammoth, in turn, traded the 23rd overall pick they received from the Bruins to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Sebastian Cossa, with the Red Wings subsequently selecting J.P. Hurlbert with that pick.
Peterka has accumulated 92 goals and 197 points across 320 career NHL games, split between his time with the Sabres and the Mammoth.
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Source: nytimes.com
