The Florida Panthers are bringing in another layer of toughness, and this time the target is Radko Gudas.
According to a team announcement, Florida has acquired the signing rights to the veteran defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the signing rights to forward A.J. Greer. Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday unless they reach new deals with their new teams.
Gudas, 36, fits the Panthers’ push for more edge. He’s a 14-year veteran with a reputation that’s followed him around the league, and his suspension history is part of that profile: 26 games total, including a five-game ban this past March for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. If Florida can work out a contract, he’d add another hard-nosed piece to a roster that already includes Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Dmitry Kulikov.
The Panthers have been leaning into that identity this offseason. They’ve already added Brady Tkachuk and Garnet Hathaway, and Gudas would be another familiar face in the mix.
He spent three seasons with Florida from 2020-21 through 2022-23, and his last year there ended with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. In 203 games with the club, he scored even goals and 44 points, posted a +47 rating, landed 917 hits and blocked 314 shots.
At this stage of his career, Gudas is mostly a bottom-pairing defenseman, but that’s not really the point. He makes opponents work, and that alone matters for a Florida team trying to get back to the playoffs for the 2026-27 season.
Greer, meanwhile, is no stranger to the physical side either. He just delivered the best offensive season of his career, boosted by the extra ice time he got while Florida dealt with injuries. In the 2025-26 season, he put up 17 goals and 32 points in 78 games, finished with a +14 rating, and threw 203 hits.
There’s still some caution with Greer, though. He doesn’t have a long record of sustained production, and if he can’t carve out a role in Anaheim’s middle six, his numbers could slide back toward what he’s shown before. Even so, his physical game gives the Ducks something they needed.
Only two Anaheim forwards topped 100 hits last season: Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins. Both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday, which makes Greer a clear upgrade in that department, even if he never quite matches last season’s scoring pace.
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