The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to acquire JJ Peterka from division rival Buffalo Sabres.
Peterka was a pending RFA and had requested a trade from the Sabres. Before Buffalo traded him to the Utah Mammoth, NHL insider Frank Seravalli revealed Toronto tried to acquire him and offered a package involving star defenseman Brandon Carlo.
“The Maple Leafs, I believe, tried to chase down JJ Peterka in Buffalo; that’s where the Brandon Carlo connection came in. Buffalo was looking for a right-shot defenseman to get back,” Seravalli said on The Fan Pregame.
Buffalo ended up trading Peterka to Utah for big defenseman Michael Kesselring and young forward Josh Doan. That package ended up being better in Buffalo’s eyes than the Maple Leafs’ package, which was going to revolve around Carlo.
The Maple Leafs acquired Carlo at the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. He has two years left on his six-year, $24.6 million deal, but Boston retained some money as he’s making just $3.485 million per season with Toronto.
Carlo skated in 83 games between Toronto and Boston, recording 1 goal and 11 assists for 12 points.
Peterka, meanwhile, ended up inking a five-year, $38.5 million deal with the Mammoth after the trade. Last season, he had 27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points in 77 games.
Sabres GM Explains Why They Accepted Utah’s Trade
Buffalo opted to trade Peterka out of conference and got two young NHL players back in return, instead of the Maple Leafs’ package.
A big part of the return was Kesselring, a 6-foot-5 right-shot defenseman. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams says Kesselring was someone the team had a ton of interest in for quite some time.
“One of our priorities as we work through this offseason is making our team more competitive and tougher to play against,” Adams said. “The additions of Michael and Josh will help us tremendously in both of those categories and I am excited to see them in a Sabres uniform soon.
“Michael fits the mold of the right-handed defensemen we have been looking for, and we are thrilled he brings both size and compete,” Adams added. “We believe he will help add balance to our blue line while elevating the rest of the D corps. Josh is a player that has shown the ability to win at multiple levels and brings great leadership pedigree to our organization. He’s a strong two-way player who we believe will be able to provide versatility to our group.”
Kesselring is entering the final year of his two-year, $2.8 million deal and will be an RFA at the end of the deal. He recorded 7 goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 82 games last season.
Maple Leafs Looking to Add Another Top-6 Forward
Toronto lost Mitch Marner this offseason and is still looking for another top-six forward to help replace him.
The Maple Leafs did acquire Mattias Maccelli from the Mammoth, but Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said the team’s goal is to add another top-six forward.
“Mitch was a top-six forward, and we haven’t replaced that hole,” Treliving said on July 1. “That’s really where our focus is.”
Toronto has just under $5 million in cap space.
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