One of the final notable moves by Kevyn Adams as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres was trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring. At the time, it was a questionable move, but it has only gotten better, and the recent extension of Doan makes it one of the best in Adam's time in the role.
While Kesselring has struggled through his first season in Buffalo, mostly due to injury, Doan has had a breakout season. He has already surpassed previous career highs and is fourth on the team in points and third in goals while leading the team in takeaways.
At the time of the trade, Peterka was viewed as the better offensive player while Doan was considered more of a well-rounded prospect. Doan has kept that two-way play but improved significantly in the offensive zone to the point that he has one more point than Peterka, with four more assists and three fewer goals.
Josh Doan's contract is what puts this trade over the top for the Buffalo Sabres
One of the reasons that the Sabres even made Peterka available this past summer was that he was a restricted free agent. It seemed unlikely that he would consider signing a long-term deal with Buffalo, especially with the direction the franchise was going at the time, so the trade made sense for both sides.
Shortly after the trade, Peterka agreed to a five-year deal with an AAV of $7.7 million with the Mammoth. The Sabres didn't need to rush into a new deal for either Doan or Kesselring as both were going to be restricted free agents after the season.
However, Jarmo Kekalainen didn't need to wait any longer for Doan and saw enough to agree to a seven-year deal with an AAV of $6.95 million. For them to get a player who is arguably able to contribute more for a longer contract at a lower AAV leaves no doubt for who got the better end of this trade.
The hope is that Michael Kesselring can put the injuries behind him and contribute down the stretch for the Buffalo Sabres' defense. However, even without him making much of an impact, this is a trade that the Sabres win not just for this season but moving forward.