Does J.J. Peterka Solve Anything?

There's another winger out there for Kyle Davidson.

Even though Kyle Davidson has spent the entire offseason preparing the ground and the fanbase for a summer of nothing (most of the fanbase if face first in the ground anyway, by this point). I'm not quite sure I believe it. Sure, the big splash is extremely unlikely to happen. Marner, Ehlers, that type of winger will not be holding up a jersey at a press conference in the first week of July.

(Sidenote: Remember when they had that Hossa press conference in front of all those kids? What was that about? And they had to pretend they were just as excited about signing Kopecky at the same press conference? What a time to be alive).

Perhaps it's just baseless optimism, or even more delusional wishcasting, but I have to believe that there have to be tangible signs of progress next season or Davidson will be out on his ass. What tangible progress looks like could be defined a dozen different ways depending on whom you ask. But there are probably two consistent ones. One is the record, which just has to be better than top five in the draft lottery again. Two is Connor Bedard actually looking like a destructive offensive force, or at least one to come. These two things are certainly linked.

Again, I could be deluded and Davidson thinks merely drafting Desnoyers or Frondell in 10 days and punting Bedard to wing in 2026-2027 is the only answer he needs. Nick Lardis proves to be all that we hope, Sacha Boisvert strolls in alongside Desnoyers or Frondell and is a whole thing, and Kyle's plan comes together as he unsheathes a cigar and a big grin.

Too many variables there, though. The Hawks need proven, NHL scoring talent. There's some available, and some of it can't even refuse to come to Chicago! We've discussed Jason Robertson, and today we'll get to the diet version, which is J.J. Peterka.

Peterka's talks with the Sabres have apparently gone south, in that he doesn't really want to be there. What his inclination would be to stick around another locale with a seemingly go-nowhere organization is unknown, but Davidson is going to have to sell this to someone eventually. But yes, Peterka could make it clear that he won't sign a deal here, or he'll only take a bridge deal, or he'll have to be overpaid to give the Hawks a shot. None of this is a huge problem, and is just the hole the Hawks have dug themselves into.

As for Peterka the player...he's kind of a perfect fit? He's a playmaking winger, the type Connor Bedard has literally never played with thanks to the Hawks' insistence that Teuvo Teravainen has to play with literally everyone else but Bedard. Here's the proof:

The only Hawk anywhere near Peterka on the High Danger Passes scale was...Pat Maroon? How did we watch this fucking team? Anyway, Peterka ranks just as highly if you downgrade to just setting up scoring chances.

Bedard needs someone on his line who can occasionally take control of the puck and let him just find space. If Bedard is going to be a 50-60 goal guy, he has to get chances both that he creates himself and are also created for him. Yes, he does need a consistent puck-winner to get the puck back from behind the net, which he's never going to be. Neither is Tyler Bertuzzi, but we're only trying to solve one problem today.

Peterka has the hands and vision to open up space for Bedard, and then find him in that space. It's something Bedard has been crying out for every waking moment he's been here.

He also does not come without finish. He has 55 goals the past two seasons, though this past campaign he shot 15% at both 5-on-5 and overall, which might be on the high side for him. But a player who gets 25 goals consistently and can add 40 assists or more is certainly one worth having around. He's also still only 23, and those numbers could grow. Is there an 80-90 point player in there?

Two seasons ago, Peterka put up a 0.91 ixG/60 at evens, which was 12th best among all right wingers in the league, and miles ahead of anything any Hawk did last season. This is a dynamic offensive player.

The knock on Peterka is that he's anywhere from a lackadaisical to woeful defensive player. That is a trend amongst a lot of Sabres. His metrics this past season are ugly, especially his WOWYs, as his linemates all saw better possession numbers without him than with him. However, that's the reverse of two seasons ago, when he carried possession and defensive numbers better than the team's overall rate. Certainly, there are warts, but nothing that can't be ironed out by a solid organization with good coaching that can get through to a 23-year-old player. Is that the Hawks? (tugs collar)

So yeah, maybe Peterka sold out for offense in a contract year on a team with little structure to begin with that certainly wasn't going anywhere. It's not a great sign, but it's also not a death knell. Also, all this whispering about his defensive game can start to sound like an organization getting it out there to keep his price down in negotiations.

Peterka, even as a restricted free agent, is probably a $7-$8M player in the rising cap world. Cole Caufield signed for $7.8M per year extension, though he's far more shoot-y than Peterka. But that's probably the starting point.

Well, the Hawks have it, and they don't have anyone to spend it on. If anyone's worried about two years down the line, at the moment the Hawks have $82M in space for the 2026-2027 season.They could pay Bedard, Nazar, and Korchinski a combined $30 million and still have an ocean of space. This is not an issue.

If the Hawks were simply to offer sheet Peterka, at a price the Sabres might blanch at, it would cost them a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Any trade before July 1 is certainly going to require a package the Sabres value more than that. The Sabres don't really need more picks.

What they need is a right-handed d-man, which the Hawks...don't really have. Connor Murphy isn't getting this done. Rinzel is almost certainly untouchable at this point. Buffalo could use help at forward too, especially with Peterka pointed for the exit. The Hawks don't really have that, either, at least not to spare. Lukas Reichel isn't getting this done.

So yeah, it's a tough match. But so is everything for the Hawks right now. If Jason Robertson is too big-time, then Peterka is worth the effort. Is the #3 pick too much? Ask yourself if Desnoyers or Frondell really project to be more than a consistent 70-80 point guy in the league. Maybe, maybe not. Peterka is 23, and a half-step from that. At some point, the Hawks need surer things than the horizon.