The Anaheim Ducks made one of their first free-agent splashes by bringing in AJ Greer on a four-year deal worth $4.25 million AAV, and the move came after a rights swap with the Florida Panthers. Anaheim sent the negotiating rights to defenseman Radko Gudas to Florida and received Greer’s rights in return, with both players ultimately signing with their new teams.
Greer arrives in Anaheim after a long climb through junior hockey, the minors, and multiple NHL stops. The 29-year-old grew up in Quebec, then came south to play at Kimball Union Academy, where he wore the captain’s “C” in his second season and led the team with 24 goals and 63 points. He also had a brief run in the USHL, scoring two goals in two games for the Des Moines Buccaneers.
His profile rose at Boston University in 2014-15, when he became the youngest forward in the NCAA and scored in his first college game. He settled in quickly as a freshman and finished that season with three goals and four assists. After a tougher sophomore year, he moved to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL, where he found his game again with 27 points in 33 games and helped the team win the QMJHL Championship and reach the Memorial Cup.
Colorado took Greer in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft, and his pro career started strong with the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL. As a rookie, he put up 38 points in 63 games, earned an AHL All-Star Game selection, and won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for his work off the ice. Over three seasons split between Colorado and its AHL affiliate, he recorded six points in 37 NHL games and scored his first NHL goal.
The next few years brought a series of moves. Greer was traded to the New York Islanders in 2020, though he played only 10 games with their AHL club.
Later that season, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils and split time between the NHL and AHL again. That AHL stretch was his best to that point: 66 points and a plus-10 rating in 69 games.
In the NHL, he had two points in nine games.
Greer finally settled into a full-time NHL role in 2022 after signing a two-year deal with the Boston Bruins. He posted 12 points in 61 games in 2022-23, then was claimed off waivers by the Calgary Flames and matched that same point total the following season. In 2024, he went back into free agency and landed a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers.
That move paid off. Greer delivered back-to-back career-best seasons in Florida, starting with six goals and 11 assists in 2024-25 and then following it up with 17 goals and 15 assists the next year. He also helped the Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup championship, contributing three points in 16 playoff games.
For Anaheim, Greer projects as a bottom-six piece who brings size, speed, defensive awareness, and a physical edge. At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he skates well for his frame, forechecks consistently, and makes the kind of straightforward, useful plays that coaches trust. He also adds playoff experience and some needed grit to a roster that is still relatively young.
Greer said he believes last season was no fluke, saying, “I know that I can do that (meet or exceed last year’s performance) again. I don’t think it’s a one-off.
Personally, I know what’s in the tank, and I’m a competitor. I’m only going to get better, I believe.
So, I’m really looking forward to this opportunity.”
He steps into a role previously filled by Ross Johnston and Jeffrey Viel, who both left in free agency. Like Greer, they were depth forwards used in defensive, fourth-line roles with some offense mixed in. If Greer brings the same production he showed in Florida, the Ducks should get exactly the kind of reliable forward they were looking for.
In Other News...
Panthers Fans May Not Love What Boqvist Could Become Next
Jesper Boqvist is back with New Jersey, and for Panthers fans, the part that stings is easy to see. The Devils did not just bring in a familiar face, they added a player whose game has grown into the kind that can quietly matter in the bottom six, with enough two-way value and playoff seasoning to make him more than a depth afterthought.
Boqvists path has already included a Stanley Cup run with Florida, and now he returns to a team that knows exactly what it is getting from him. The Devils believe that familiarity, along with his recent development, can help shape their 2026-27 outlook, and the only real mystery left is how he described the move in a recent interview before the conversation cut off. [Read more 🡒]