JJ Peterka

After getting a brief taste of the NHL in 2021-22, Peterka put forth a solid rookie campaign last season, contributing 12 goals, 32 points and 125 shots in 77 contests while averaging 13:39 of ice time. The 21-year-old forward was selected with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and possesses a fair amount of offensive upside. The main issue is that Buffalo has plenty of talented young forwards, so Peterka might struggle to get a significantly bigger role than he had in 2022-23. That said, there is a greater opportunity for him to earn a top-six spot out of the gate after Jack Quinn underwent surgery for an Achilles injury that's projected to cost him roughly the first month of the season. If Peterka can take advantage of that opportunity, perhaps he can hang onto the spot and build towards a 50-point campaign, though there's also the real risk that he'll struggle to get out of a third-line role in his sophomore season and end up with offensive numbers largely mirroring his rookie showing.