The Boston Bruins sat quietly while other teams made noise before the NHL Draft. For a while it looked like Don Sweeney would do nothing. Then the news hit. The Bruins sent two first-round picks to the Utah Mammoth for winger JJ Peterka.
That’s a lot to give up for a 24-year-old who has never scored more than 28 goals in a season. But Peterka has averaged 26.7 goals over the last three years. He has four full NHL seasons under his belt. The Bruins see him as a top-six forward who can go to the dirty areas and finish. They need that badly.
Boston made the playoffs in 2025-26 but got bounced in six games by Buffalo in the first round. The roster had David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman. Beyond that? Holes everywhere. Adding a forward who can skate on either of the top two lines makes sense on paper.
Peterka and Pastrnak could form a dangerous duo
Head coach Marco Sturm has an interesting option. He can put Peterka on the top line with Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. Both Peterka and Sturm are German-born. That’s not nothing. Chemistry matters.
Pastrnak is a consistent 100-point guy but his goal scoring slipped last season. He only scored 29 times. If Peterka can pot 30-35 goals on the other wing, maybe Pastrnak shoots more instead of looking for the pass. That line could be one of the scariest in the league.
But here’s the thing about giving up two first-rounders. One of those picks came from Florida in the Brad Marchand trade. It’s conditional. If that pick lands in the top 10, Boston can keep it and send Utah their unprotected 2029 first-rounder instead. That’s a lot of moving parts for a guy who hasn’t proven he’s worth that kind of haul.
If Peterka turns out to be average, Sweeney’s critics will get louder. If he becomes the star the Bruins think he is, this looks genius. Right now the trade gets a B from me. It’s a solid move with real risk.
Utah gets flexibility and a goalie prospect
The Mammoth paid a steep price to get Peterka last year, sending Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring to Buffalo. They saw back-to-back 27-goal seasons and thought they had a future star. But Peterka managed 25 goals and 22 assists in Utah. Not bad. Not star level either.
Things got worse in the playoffs. Peterka didn’t score a point in six games against Vegas. He got benched midway through the third period of Game 3, a 5-4 overtime loss. Coach Andre Tourigny didn’t hide his frustration.
“It was because of his play,” Tourigny told the Boston Globe. “I had a discussion with JJ. That discussion will stay inside our room.”
So Utah flipped Peterka for two first-rounders. They used the No. 23 pick to trade with Detroit for goalie Sebastian Cossa. He’s 6-6, posted .913, .911 and .915 save percentages in the AHL over three seasons. But he’s only played one NHL game since being drafted in 2021. No guarantees he becomes a reliable backup to Karel Vejmelka.
Still, the Mammoth turned a player who fell out of favor into two first-round picks. That’s good business. They lose a talented forward but gain draft capital and a potential goalie of the future. It’s a gamble, but it’s a calculated one.
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