Ducks and Panthers Exchange Player Rights
The Anaheim Ducks have acquired the rights to right wing A.J. Greer from the Florida Panthers. This transaction was made in exchange for the rights to defenseman Radko Gudas. Both Greer and Gudas are set to become unrestricted free agents, allowing their new teams to negotiate contracts before free agency officially opens on July 1.
Pat Verbeek, General Manager for the Ducks, acknowledged Gudas’s contributions, stating that he captained the club with heart and soul over the last two seasons and made a significant impact in the community. Verbeek expressed gratitude to Gudas and wished him future success. The Ducks organization hopes to sign Greer to a contract and anticipates his contributions to the team.
Greer’s Recent Performance and Career Highlights
Greer, who is 29 years old, played a role in helping Florida secure the 2025 Stanley Cup championship. During that postseason, he recorded 3 points in 16 games. In the 2025-26 season with the Panthers, Greer established career highs in points, goals, assists, and a plus/minus rating of +14. He finished the 2025-26 season with 32 points in 78 games, including 17 goals.
Throughout his career, Greer has accumulated 81 points with a +18 rating and 448 penalty minutes in 326 regular season games. His NHL career includes stints with Florida (2024-26), Calgary (2023-24), Boston (2022-23), New Jersey (2021-22), and Colorado (2016-19). Greer is known for his physical play, delivering 203 hits in the 2025-26 season.
The 6-foot-3, 224-pound forward has also appeared in 278 American Hockey League (AHL) games, collecting 195 points. His AHL career includes stints with Utica (2021-22), Binghamton (2020-21), Bridgeport (2020-21), Colorado (2018-20), and San Antonio (2016-18). He was named to the 2017 AHL All-Star Game and received the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for his community efforts during the 2016-17 season.
Originally selected by Colorado in the second round (39th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Greer played one season for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL in 2015-16, earning 27 points in 33 games. He helped the club win a QMJHL championship and appear in the 2016 Memorial Cup. A native of Joliette, Quebec, Greer also spent two seasons with Boston University (NCAA) from 2014-16, registering 12 points in 55 contests.
Gudas’s Tenure with Anaheim and Previous Experience
Gudas, who is 36 years old, appeared in 203 games with Anaheim from 2023-26. He served as the club’s captain for the last two seasons. Signed as a free agent on July 1, 2023, Gudas accumulated 47 points with a +16 rating during his three seasons with Anaheim. His steady presence on the blue line contributed to the Ducks reaching their first playoff berth in eight years this past season. Anaheim defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 before being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2.
In his last season with the Ducks, Gudas recorded two goals and 11 assists in 56 regular-season games. The 6-foot-0, 208-pound defenseman has recorded 211 points with a +89 rating and 1,124 penalty minutes in 885 career NHL games. His career includes playing for Anaheim, Florida (2020-23), Washington (2019-20), Philadelphia (2015-19), and Tampa Bay (2012-15).
Gudas is familiar with the Panthers organization, having played for the team for three seasons from 2020-23, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final in his last season with them. During that period, Gudas scored goals and 44 points in 203 games with a +47 rating, delivering 917 hits and blocking 314 shots. He has been suspended for a total of 26 games throughout his career, with the latest being a five-game punishment for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews in March.
The Panthers have been adding physical players to their roster in an effort to return to the playoffs for the 2026-27 season. With players like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Dmitry Kulikov already on the team, Florida has also added Brady Tkachuk and Garnet Hathaway this offseason. The acquisition of Gudas’s rights further strengthens their physical presence, potentially making them a more challenging team to play against.
Greer’s physicality is expected to make him a decent option for the Ducks, even if he does not match his offensive output from the past season. The only two forwards on the Ducks who totaled more than 100 hits last season, Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins, are also scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday.
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Source: nhl.com
