It’s been well documented that the Carolina Hurricanes are poised to be aggressive this upcoming 2025 offseason with $28.4 million in cap space. They also have 21 draft picks over the next three NHL Entry Drafts, which are at their disposal for possible trades. They have been linked to be one of the teams going all in for unrestricted free agent (UFA) Mitch Marner and possibly others like Jason Robertson and Nikolaj Ehlers. There have also been rumors of other players who are restricted free agents (RFAs) that could be available via offer sheets or trades, Bowen Byram and Marco Rossi. That said, could the Hurricanes be aggressive again by making another blockbuster trade like they did in January 2025 for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall? If they are, could it be the Buffalo Sabres for not one, but two players?
Another Possible Blockbuster Trade for Hurricanes?
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and 32 Thoughts the Podcast, he mentioned on the June 15 episode that the Sabres are listening to trade offers for German RFA forward JJ Peterka. Peterka just finished the last year of his three-year entry-level contract (ELC), where he was paid $855,834 per season for his average annual value (AAV). During the 2024-25 season, the 23-year-old Munchen, Germany native had 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games for the Sabres. This was after having 28 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2023-24. It is quite clear that Peterka will be a star player in the NHL for a long time, given that he is on a team that will make the playoffs.
As of now, the Sabres are on a 14-year run of not making a playoff appearance. It’s been rumored around the hockey world that Peterka is not happy with the situation in Buffalo and wants to be paid as a near-elite player. That being said, it seems like the Sabres are now open to trade offers for Peterka after it’s been mentioned to Friedman and other insiders that general manager Kevyn Adams wants to keep him. If Peterka is available for a trade and then offered an extension, what could that deal possibly be?
Related: Hurricanes’ Trade Deadline Has Set Them Up for a Reload in the 2025 Offseason
According to AFP Analytics projections, there are two possible options for Peterka: a short-term and a long-term deal. The short-term comes out to a two-year, $9.254 million contract with the AAV being $4.67 million per season. That will amount to 4.85% of the $95.5 million cap hit. Option two, the long-term, could be somewhere around a seven-year, $54.591 million deal with the AAV being at $7.798 million per season. That would be 8.17% of the cap hit per season. However, if the Hurricanes can get his signing rights, they could give Peterka the elusive eight-year option and bump the AAV up to $8 or $9 million per season ($64 million or $72 million total).
It gives Peterka what he wants: money and term. He gets paid like a star player and will have security to be on a stable team for the run of his contract. Especially with the fact that the Hurricanes are a team that is on a seven-for-seven run of making the playoffs, and winning a round with head coach Rod Brind’Amour behind the bench. Regarding the Hurricanes, they acquire another cornerstone top-six forward for the future to build around that includes him, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, etc. In 159 games, Peterka has 55 goals, 63 assists, and 118 points over the last two seasons for the Sabres. Even if they don’t give an offer sheet, Peterka is worth making a trade for and giving him an eight-year extension. He will be part of the Hurricanes’ core for the next seven or eight seasons and someone who could thrive under a stable coaching staff and organization.
The other player who should be part of the next potential blockbuster trade is Phoenix, Arizona native Tage Thompson.
Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
Thompson will enter the third season of his seven-year, $50 million deal, with the AAV being $7.142 million. The 27-year-old is the right-shot center the Hurricanes desperately need, and with the AAV being under $7.2 million per season, it makes sense to inquire about him. During the 2024-25 season, he had 44 goals and 72 points in 75 games and led the Sabres in goals and points. Peterka, for comparison, was third on the team in goals and tied for second in points with Rasmus Dahlin. Over the last three seasons, Thompson has had 47, 29, and 44 goals, respectively, along with 94, 56, and 72 points dating back to the 2022-23 season. Even in 2021-22, he had 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games played. He could be the solution to the Hurricanes’ second-line center dilemma.
Thompson could slot in behind Aho to be part of a center core that includes those two, along with Jordan Staal and Mark Jankowski. Plus, Thompson (and Peterka) could be placed on the second power-play unit and make the Hurricanes’ special teams lethal with those two there. Furthermore, Brind’Amour could place Jarvis or Taylor Hall on that second line with Thompson and Peterka to make that trio lethal behind the top line of whoever is with Aho.
Related: Hurricanes’ Goaltending Tandem All Set for 2025-26
All of that being said, what could a trade look like between the Hurricanes and the Sabres? The Sabres have $23.2 million in cap space compared to the Hurricanes’ $28.4 million, so both teams have the cap space to make any trade work. A possible starting point trade could look like this:
Hurricanes Receive:
Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka
2025 4th Round Pick (Sabres)
2026 4th Round Pick (Sabres)
Sabres Receive:
Jackson Blake
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
2026 1st Round Pick (Dallas Stars)
2027 3rd Round Pick (Stars)
2028 1st Round Pick (Stars)
This trade could be subject to change depending on picks and other sweeteners; either way, this could be 95% of what the potential trade looks like between the two teams. The Hurricanes upgrade their center option by removing Kotkaniemi’s $4.82 million and replacing it with Thompson’s $7.142 million. While the Sabres take on Kotkaniemi’s AAV, they will also get Blake’s upside with him going into the last season of his three-year, $905,833 AAV ELC deal. It’s essentially a center and winger swap between the two teams, with both franchises acquiring RFAs that they’ll be able to sign for the future. Also, the Sabres get three picks that the Hurricanes received in the Stars trade for Stankoven, giving the Sabres more assets to keep or flip in other deals if they think they can do so.
The Hurricanes have been labeled as a team that will be aggressive this offseason. A blockbuster trade to acquire Thompson and Peterka fits that bill of being aggressive, and loading up for not only 2025-26, but for the future. They would have the next five seasons of Thompson and the next seven or eight seasons of Peterka. Their top six could include Aho, Svechnikov, Jarvis, Hall, Thompson, and Peterka, making it possibly the best top group of players in the Brind’Amour era for the top two lines. Either way, if the Hurricanes want to be aggressive and go all in for 2025-26 and beyond, a trade for Thompson and Peterka gets you there.
Huge Offseason Incoming for Hurricanes
General manager Eric Tulsky has a ton to consider with the cap space the Hurricanes will have this summer. They will have $28.4 million in cap space and 21 picks over the next three drafts at their disposal. There are many ways to load up the Hurricanes’ roster this offseason. Could Peterka and Thompson be a part of the aggressive summer for the Hurricanes? If they are, it’s a great start to the offseason, and it’ll make Hurricanes fans even more excited for what’s to come in the 2025-26 season.
