This year’s free agent market could be rife with impactful, veteran, depth forwards. Top of the list oculd be Florida Panthers winger A.J. Greer who intends to reach the open market this summer per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Greer is coming off the highest-scoring season of his NHL career, marked by 17 goals and 32 points in 78 games. He once again crested the century mark in penalty minutes as well – with 113 – marking his third season in the last four years reaching that mark.
Greer will represent a true bruiser on the open market. He led the Panthers with 203 hits this season, over 60 more than Jesper Boqvist in second place. That has long been the presence that Greer brings to the lineup – and what has kept him at the NHL level despite failing to surpass 20 points in any of his prior three full seasons in the league. He found a small burst of scoring with the Panthers, setting a career-high 17 points in 81 games during the 2024-25 season, then nearly doubling that performance thanks to an elevated lineup role and a 16.3 shooting percentage this season.
Interested teams shouldn’t expect that scoring to stick around, though. Through his career, Greer has averaged 20 points, 113 penalty minutes, and 176 hits per 82 games played – while averaging under 10 minutes of ice time each night. He will likely settle into a similar role wherever he heads next, and should command the associated cost – though Greer could also represent a tinge of interesting upside after a career-year in Florida.
