A.J. Greer becomes the latest to get big pay day after time with Panthers
A.J. Greer’s two seasons in Florida gave him a chance for consistent playing time. It gave him a chance to prove his worth in the league after a winding road leading up to signing with the Panthers.
It gave him a chance to become a Stanley Cup champion, and an integral part of a championship team at that.
He made his mark with the Panthers. Now, he’s capitalizing on it.
Greer parlayed his successes with Florida into a four-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday that’s worth a reported $4.25 million per year and includes a 10-team no-trade clause for the duration of the contract.
The Ducks were able to give Greer that deal ahead of free agency, which doesn’t start until noon Wednesday, because the Panthers traded Greer’s negotiation rights to Anaheim on Monday in exchange for the negotiation rights of defenseman Radko Gudas. As of Tuesday evening, Florida and Gudas had not yet struck a deal.
Greer made just $1.7 million total across his two seasons with the Panthers — and made that look like an absolute bargain by the end of the deal.
He logged 49 points (23 goals, 26 assists) across 159 regular-season games after having 32 points total in his career before joining Florida.
Greer’s line with him at left wing, Tomas Nosek at center and Jonah Gadjovich at right wing was a pivotal spark in Florida’s second-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Panthers’ run to their second consecutive Stanley Cup in 2025.
In the 2025-26 season, Greer showed that he could be a steady contributor as a top-nine forward as he moved up the lineup due to a slew of Panthers injuries. He scored 17 goals — nearly half of his career total of 36 — and had 32 total points across 78 games.
Greer had hoped for the potential to stay with the Panthers, but Florida knew the money situation would be tight if not impossible. Florida opted to trade for Garnet Hathaway last week to fill Greer’s role.
And instead, Greer became the latest player over the past few offseasons to get a pay raise elsewhere after thriving with Florida.
Among them:
Gudas got $12 million over three years with Anaheim.
Forward Ryan Lomberg made $2 million per year over two years with the Calgary Flames after being a league minimum guys his entire career. Fellow fourth-line forward Kevin Stenlund received an identical deal with the Utah Mammoth. Both are set to be free agents on Wednesday.
Defenseman Brandon Montour is in the midst of a seven-year deal with an average annual value of more than $7 million with the Seattle Kraken.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson went from being bought out by the Vancouver Canucks to winning a Stanley Cup with the Panthers to getting a fresh deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs that averages $3.5 million a year over four years.
Forward Steven Lorentz became a regular in the league on his hometown Maple Leafs after winning a Cup in Florida. He only got a league minimum deal his first season away from Florida but is now on the second year of a three-year deal with an average annual value of $1.35 million.
Defenseman Nate Schmidt is going into the second year of a three-year deal with the Utah Mammoth that has a $3.5 million average annual value after playing on the league minimum for one season Florida following a contract buyout.
And now, A.J. Greer.
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