Panthers hope to bring back a fan favorite after trading for Radko Gudas’ rights
Looks like the Florida Panthers could be bringing back a fan favorite as they beef up their defense.
The Panthers on Monday acquired the rights to defenseman Radko Gudas from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the rights to A.J. Greer.
Gudas is slated to become an unrestricted free agent when the NHL market opens at noon Wednesday. This deal allows the Panthers to negotiate a deal with him prior to the market opening. The Panthers currently have about $5.8 million in cap space available.
Gudas, 36, will be entering his 15th NHL season and just finished a three-year stint with Anaheim. He was with the Panthers from 2020-2023, logging 44 points (seven goals, 37 assists) through 203 games. While he wasn’t with the Panthers for either of their two Stanley Cups, Gudas is a player Panthers coach Paul Maurice has praised as having helped establish the team’s culture.
Known for his physical nature on the ice, Gudas has 3,222 career hits.
Gudas only played 56 games last season for the Ducks, missing time late in the season — and only playing in one of Anaheim’s six first-round playoff games — after sustaining a lower-body injury in March. He also missed five games after being suspended for a knee-on-knee hit on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews.
Should he formally sign a deal, that locks up Florida’s top seven defensemen. The group would be Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov, Uvis Balinskis and Gudas.
Greer, meanwhile, did win a Cup with the Panthers and put up career numbers over his two seasons with Florida. He logged 49 points and 425 hits, including setting single-season career-highs in goals (17), assists (15) and points (32) last season while moving up and down the lineup. The bruising winger was set for a sizable pay raise that the Panthers wouldn’t have been able to offer.
Florida still needs to sign two goaltenders before the season begins. Should they sign Gudas, they will almost assuredly need to shed salary cap elsewhere to make ends meet. Forwards Evan Rodrigues ($3 million cap hit in 2026-27) and Jesper Boqvist ($1.5 million cap hit in 2026-27) are the two most logical options on that front.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 2:17 PM.
.JPG)