The Florida Panthers are adding a familiar name to the blue line. The Panthers acquired defenseman Radko Gudas in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, sending winger A.J. Greer in exchange just prior to free agency.

Both players are free agents on July 1st, and the swap gives Florida sole leverage on striking a deal with Gudas ahead of Wednesday’s opening of the free agent market. And according to reports, there is a good chance that a deal gets done before the market opens.

This also reunites Gudas with the Panthers, a team for whom he played three seasons from 2020-2023 as a stable defensive force on the blue line and a contributor to Florida’s appearance in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

Gudas is the latest physical depth addition to the Panthers in an offseason in which they aim to get bigger and grittier with experienced, postseason-tested players, adding Gudas to other recent big physical acquisitions like Brady Tkachuk and Garnet Hathaway.

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