One of the Ottawa Senators' biggest rivals are the Buffalo Sabres. Despite being rivals, the two teams worked out a big trade this past March at the trade deadline.
The two teams made a big trade surrounding Dylan Cozens and Josh Norris. Cozens' impact on the Senators helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. While Norris only played three games for the Sabres following the trade due to injuries.
While the Senators are aiming to improve the roster this off-season, the Sabres are yet struggling again and are rebuilding still. The Sabres have yet to make the playoffs since 2011. There was one player the Sabres had on their roster that the Senators could've had heavy interest in to acquire, but is now off to the Beehive State.
Peterka gone in Buffalo; Sens did get lucky with him going out of the conference
Before the clock struck midnight on the East Coast on June 25, the Sabres traded away forward JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. Peterka was a rising star and one of the Sabres' best players on the roster at 23 years old. Now, the Senators must cross him off the list for a potential trade this off-season.
Hearing the JJ Peterka deal to Utah is for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 26, 2025
Three players, no picks.
Peterka would've been a solid fit for the Senators, and a good amount of Sens fans were interested in the team trading for him, and rightfully so.
After recording 50 points in the 2023-24 season, Peterka exploded for a 68-point season in 2024-25. Peterka's 68 points and 41 assists set two new career highs for a single season.
Peterka was excellent against the Senators in 2024-25 in the four games played between the two teams with recording five points. In one of the games between the two teams on Nov. 5, Peterka recorded a three-point game highlighted by scoring two goals in the Sabres' 5-1 win.
If one Senators player would've loved to have played with Peterka, it would've been Tim Stutzle. Both Peterka and Stutzle have German roots and could've formed a dynamic one-two punch among German NHL forwards.
Peterka is now off to Utah and Ottawa now searches for another rising star to potentially trade for this off-season.