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Buffalo Sabres: Ranking the 2022-23 forwards from worst to first

By Sion Fawkes

Feb 27, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson (72) celebrates and left wing Jeff Skinner (53) and right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrates a goal scored by Thompson against the Dallas Stars during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson (72) celebrates and left wing Jeff Skinner (53) and right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrates a goal scored by Thompson against the Dallas Stars during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buffalo Sabres
ELMONT, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 30: JJ Peterka #77 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York Islanders at the UBS Arena on December 30, 2021 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

12 – J.J. Peterka

2021-22 Statistics (AHL): 70 games, 68 points, 28 goals, 40 assists

Peterka is also one of those players whose ranking will increase as the season progresses. But since he has just two games of NHL experience, we don’t know how good he is going to be at the next level. And since he has such a small sample size, he shouldn’t rank any higher than 12th at the moment.

But that doesn’t mean Peterka will crash and burn as a rookie in the NHL. Instead, expect him to show some flashes throughout the season. But you can also look for the winger to have some rough outings.

Projection for 2022-23: Peterka will likely earn a spot on the third or fourth line. A physical player, he could be an ideal fit to man the third line with most likely Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Asplund given the latter two’s defensive mentalities. But he could also bring some energy to the Buffalo Sabres during his rookie season and play in short bursts, which would make him fit for the fourth line.

I am looking for Peterka to be a rotational piece at worst. At best, he could see time in most contests. I don’t expect him to score often, since he will likely see time on the bottom-six. But he should still snag between 25 and 35 points this season before he takes on a larger role in 2023-24.

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