ORCHARD PARK – General manager Kevyn Adams believes he and coach Lindy Ruff each had productive exit meetings with winger JJ Peterka in April following the Buffalo Sabres’ disappointing 79-point season.
Adams said Peterka, 23, analyzed his game during “positive, productive and honest conversations” about himself and the team and said he must improve defensively and do more to help the Sabres.
“I think that’s a sign of maturity from him,” Adams said Tuesday at One Bills Drive, where the Sabres will be headquartered for this weekend’s NHL Draft. “So it’s all positive on the JJ front, from those conversations.”
But what about some other conversations Adams has likely had with Peterka, a restricted free agent, and his representative?
The German’s name keeps popping up in trade rumors. There’s speculation he wants out of Buffalo.
So, did Peterka, who could receive a new contract worth around $7 million per season, request a trade?
“This is the best way I would say: I don’t think it’s probably productive or beneficial for me to get into specifics on our players right now,” Adams said. “This is a time of year where there’s so much going on. There’s probably a lot of misinformation out there, and I guess (I’ll) probably leave it at that.”
When told he wasn’t denying Peterka asked to be dealt, Adams refused to reveal more information.
“I don’t want to say yes or no, because I just don’t think it’s the right time,” he said. “And I can probably, after the draft and when we have other conversations, get into more specifics on things, but I just don’t think it’s fair to the player, to be honest with you, to really even respond to that.
“I think it’s just better to keep it to the fact that we have a plan. We’re working toward helping our team get better.”
Peterka, a second-round pick in 2020, 34th overall, has emerged as one of the Sabres’ top offensive threats. He scored 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games last season, offensive numbers that ranked third and second, respectively, on the team.
While he would almost certainly fetch a notable return in a trade, he would be difficult to replace.
For years, Adams has stressed he desires players who want to be in Buffalo.
“You have to have players that buy into and believe what you’re doing and wake up every day in Buffalo excited to be a Sabre,” said Adams, who noted he tries to make his players part of the equation to find answers.
He traded Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart in 2021 after their relationship soured with the team. Those players, of course, have won a combined three Stanley Cups and have further established themselves as elite forwards.
Still, can Adams really deal every player who’s upset? At what point does he put his foot down?
“Are there hard conversations with players at times frustrated with things?” Adams said. “Absolutely, and that’s part of the relationship building that I believe in from my job through the coaches, having those conversations. There’s hard days, too, where players are frustrated or I’m frustrated. But that doesn’t mean you just you wake up because the players upset at that day and you’re just trading him.”
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Adams, whose Sabres pick ninth Friday, said he’s willing to move up or down or even deal the selection without receiving a first-rounder in return.
“I’ve had conversations, up to this point, from teams that are all the way up at the top of the draft, right to teams behind us, preparing for every possible scenario – moving up or down, which you’ve seen us do in the past, and also, being willing to move the pick altogether,” he said. “If there’s a way to make our team better and it involved pick nine, we’ll have zero hesitation.
“In saying that, we also believe we’ll get a good player if we make pick nine. So, to me, that’s the exciting part of the draft, going through this process.”
If the Olympics had a sport of who in hockey could hire the worst general manager, the Sabres would win the Gold Medal. I guess the owner doesn’t really care about this team.