BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres’ long-anticipated offseason retooling began late Wednesday night with the team agreeing to trade forward JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth to acquire forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring, a person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced by the teams. DailyFaceoff was the first to report the trade.

This is a major swap of young players all within their first three seasons of NHL experience.

The 23-year-old Peterka is coming off consecutive 25-plus goal seasons, and was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next week. He is anticipated to already be in discussions on a new contract with Utah.

Doan, a 23-year-old winger, is the son of longtime Arizona Coyotes star Shane Doan, and his departure is the organization’s latest move that separates this Salt Lake City chapter from the past. He had seven goals and 19 points in his rookie season with Utah last year.

Kesselring, a 25-year-old defenseman, played alongside Doan for the U.S. when it won the world championships in May for the first time since 1933. He completed his second full NHL season with seven goals and 29 points — both career highs.

The Sabres were expected to shake up their roster after a disappointing finish in Lindy Ruff’s first season back with the team. Buffalo finished 14th in the Eastern Conference standings and extended its NHL-record playoff drought to a 14th season.

The Mammoth, meantime, acquire a promising offensive star while keeping their No. 4 pick in the NHL draft on Friday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl