In 2025, the Utah Mammoth thought they might have pulled off an amazing move. The Mammoth traded for a 23-year-old star in JJ Peterka, and they only had to give up two young players in return for Peterka. However, it turns out, Peterka regressed, and one of the young players they gave up was Josh Doan, who performed even better than Peterka. Peterka ended up with his contract being traded to the Boston Bruins for two first-round picks. However, what if things turned out differently?
The Mammoth could've had a superstar for years to come
The Mammoth would also trade Michael Kesselring, who only played 34 games. However, the one part of the trade that hurts the most is Doan, who is the same age (24), and provided 27 goals and 50 points. Meanwhile, Peterka, whom Utah had high hopes for, would only score 25 goals and 47 points. Peterka simply should've provided more, considering that he was very successful with the Buffalo Sabres. In the 2024-25 season, Peterka scored 27 goals and 68 points, which was why the Mammoth had hoped that Peterka could become their next superstar. Utah simply lacked scoring in the 2024-25 season, and they hoped that Peterka, who did so well before even hitting the age of 24, would only grow.
Peterka could've easily been a 30+ goal scorer and maybe even a 70+ point provider in a season. The good news for Utah is that they no longer need to pay 7.7 million for a player who didn't do too much, yet Utah still made the postseason. The Mammoth also used one of the picks they got from the Boston Bruins to trade for a much-needed goalie. Simply put, the Mammoth are gonna have to forget about the Peterka story and hope to get quality starts from their new backup goalie. If Peterka worked out, though, the Mammoth could've had another superstar.
The Bruins, themselves in need of goal scoring, can still get a good player or maybe even a superstar in Peterka. Since Peterka is still only 24, he still has time to put things together. However, Utah wasn't interested in another winger who cost a little too much. It is pretty simple, the Mammoth didn't really get what they wanted out of this trade- it could've been so much more.
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