It’s a curious move, given that Utah made a significant effort to acquire him last season and sign him to a substantial contract. He had a decent enough season and Utah are absolutely trying to take a step after making the playoffs, so what gives?
In fact, Peterka is not only a good player, but a stylistic fit for how Utah plays. Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, and Dylan Guenther are fantastic off the rush. Perhaps Guenther takes the spotlight, particularly on the power play, but it’s not as if the Mammoth are overloaded with scoring talent. Especially at wing.
The draft pick value is okay but not reflective of a “couldn’t say no” deal. It just doesn’t make sense at the moment. And Utah, who are looking to move into a contention window, also have one of the league’s best prospect pools. They’re not parched for young talent.
It is true that Daniil But and Tij Iginla, two top wing prospects, could be ready for NHL duties next season, but that’s not enough to bridge this gap.
Something’s missing here, because Utah lose the trade on value and it contradicts where the team is headed.
Maybe they’re looking at a big addition at forward. Could they be making space for Jason Robertson? If that’s the case, then suddenly this move makes a lot more sense. Matthew Knies may also be in play. How about Dylan Larkin?
I’ll give GM Bill Armstrong some benefit of the doubt here in my grade, but a hypothetical at a later date only goes so far. At face value, this is a bit perplexing. Let’s see what comes next.
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