The Boston Bruins were bounced from the playoffs by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round last season. While the Bruins can't exactly follow the old adage of "if you can't beat them, join them," they have certainly tried with "if you can't beat them, add as many former members as possible."
This offseason, the Bruins completed separate trades for JJ Peterka and defenseman Will Borgen, signed free agent Connor Clifton, and brought in former general manager Kevyn Adams to their front office. The latest move was signing Josh Bloom, who was a third-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2021, to a one-year, two-way contract.
These new additions will be joining three former Sabres who were on the Bruins last season in Casey Mittelstadt, Nikita Zadorov, and Henri Jokiharju. It is pretty remarkable to think that three of the Bruins' six defensemen on Opening Night will be former Buffalo Sabres players.
As for Bloom, he has yet to make his NHL debut, and it would be surprising if he did this season. Last season, he bounced between the ECHL and AHL and, even in the AHL, split time between the Bakersfield Condors and Abbotsford Canucks.
JJ Peterka was "surprised" by the trade to the Boston Bruins
The big move the Buffalo Sabres made last summer was trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan. While Kesselring has already moved on, Doan has been an excellent addition and, after signing a seven-year deal in January, will be a key part of the Sabres' future.
The Mammoth expected Peterka to have a similar impact, and that was why they signed him to a five-year deal worth $38.5 million shortly after the trade. However, he didn't make that next jump on the ice and saw his points drop from 68 in his final season with the Sabres to only 47.
Even with the decrease, it was unexpected to see the Mammoth move on so quickly, and even the player noted he wasn't expecting it when the trade happened, according to Michael Augello with The Hockey News.
"It was a huge surprise. It was like one of those things I never expected," Peterka said during the NHL/NHLPA European Media Tour earlier this week. "I was watching the draft. I was actually surprised. I got the call, and I was like, 'okay, good to know'. It was like shocking at first, but (I'm) super excited after just seeing like who's (on the Bruins)."
The former Sabres players are going to have to wait a bit to play against their old team, as the Bruins aren't scheduled to play Buffalo until January 5th.
However, both teams could play a pivotal role in the other's playoff chances, as the Bruins play the Sabres in three of Buffalo's final nine regular-season games. They may not meet in the playoffs again but the Sabres should be prepared for a motivated team with so many former players looking for some revenge against their former team.
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