After a surprise trade for his rights, the hard-hitting forward explains why Anaheim’s aggressive pursuit and family-friendly lifestyle convinced him to commit to a long-term future.
On Monday, the Anaheim Ducks acquired the signing rights to pending UFA forward AJ Greer from the Florida Panthers in exchange for the signing rights to pending UFA defenseman Radko Gudas.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that the Ducks and Greer had agreed to terms on a four year contract that will carry an AAV of $4.25 million.
On Wednesday, the signing was made official, and Greer met with local media members later in the day to discuss his decision.
Questions are lightly edited for length and clarity purposes
The Ducks traded for your signing rights, so you still have the opportunity to go anywhere in free agency you chose. So what made it appealing about Anaheim that you decided, okay, let's work something out, and let's sign a long-term deal?
Well, it was a different process, for sure. I'd gone through this process a few years back, and I was taking a nap the other day. My phone rings, and my agent told me that my rights were traded. I didn't really understand what that meant at first, but the way he was explaining it, it really meant that Anaheim was wanting to be aggressive, and they just wanted to show their commitment to wanting to sign me.
So then you start thinking about the possibility of signing there and how you fit into the mold that they're looking for, how you fit in off the ice, on the ice, in the community. Is it a good place for your family? How's the organization trending? Overall, how do you feel about it? And so I took some time to myself, I spoke to my wife, and then I called my agent, and ultimately I told my agent, ‘Listen, I'm really open to this opportunity if it's available.’ All around, I think it was a good fit. Off the ice, it's a great place for a lifestyle, an amazing, amazing place, California. A great place to live with your family. I have two kids, so that was a big part of it.
And then you look at the hockey component of things, and it's an amazing opportunity for me. I think given this situation, I'm going to be putting myself in a position where I can establish myself as a top nine guy, and I knew that them trading for my rights and wanting to be aggressive, but wanting to sign me meant that there was going to be big opportunity for me to be a standout player for this team and help this team trend in the right direction, hopefully become a Stanley Cup champion.
And then I had a conversation with Joel Quenneville and Pat Verbeek, and that kind of pushed me even more towards signing with Anaheim, just based off of the fact that those two minutes were loaded with information, with positivity, passion, and honestly, things that exuded what I wanted to hear out of the conversation. So, I'm really, really excited.
You think about Anaheim Ducks and who they are as a team and as an organization. For me, when I thought about that, I thought about the Mighty Ducks at first. I thought about how they started, and guys like Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, (Chris) Pronger, and (Scott) Niedermayer. These guys kind of shaped the organization and their identity. Then you kind of look at perspective of the organization now and how they are trending with these young guys; so much, so much talent. I played against them this year, in the last few years, and they're going in the right way. They've got speed, they play with a lot of intensity. I think that I can really bring that physical and (bring) that power forward game to this lineup and really help them win.
Then, obviously, you look at the coaches and Joel Quenneville, great coach, three Stanley Cups. I've heard nothing but great things about him. And again, the phone call that I had with him was about a minute and a half, and it really stuck with me. The only coach that I know personally after that is Tim Army. I had him. I played five games my first year in the National Hockey League, and Tim was an assistant coach. He's a great guy, and I got to speak to him when I was out there, and I'm just looking forward to the whole experience, but I'm really, really excited.
You're coming off a career year with Florida. I know they had a lot of injuries and things like that, but what do you think led to that production? Was it just getting that extended opportunity this season, or was it something that you did a little bit more before this season to kind of get prepared for everything?
Well, it's definitely preparation. As an athlete and as a competitor, you always want to be ready for an opportunity once it comes. And I was fortunate to play for the Florida Panthers; we won a Stanley Cup. I got so much experience during that playoff run, and during the summer, I kind of thought about my goals and what I wanted to achieve coming into a contract year. We wanted to win another cup, but personally, I wanted to achieve certain things and put myself in a good position for myself, for my family to be able to be in a good financial situation, and pick where we want to go, essentially, like I just did.
So I spoke to my coach, and I had told him, I said, ‘Listen, if there is any opportunity this year, I really think I can do well with it.’ I've been kind of boxed into a fourth-line role with limited minutes, my whole career, but the more I played, the more experience that I gained, and I was put in certain situations where I knew that if I was used in more minutes or in a better offensive situation, I could produce. And I wholeheartedly believed that.
But again, it's tough when you have a certain role, and you want to do the best at that role. Injuries played a big part in me getting that opportunity, and it's unfortunate, but again, it was an opportunity personally for me. So I got to play with unbelievable players, and I was ready. And once you get a confidence boost like I did at the first five games, I put up some points, scored some goals, then you just kind of build off that. I really just put my head down and gave it everything I had. I know that I can do that again. I don't think it's a one-off. Personally, I know what's in the tank, and I'm a competitor. I’m only going to get better, I believe. So, I'm really looking forward to this opportunity.
You've had all these one-year deals, kind of bouncing around, and now to have this stability with the long-term deal, I was just hoping you could kind of give us a little reflection on how your career has gone from the start.
It's been up and down. It’s crazy when you look back, and you realize certain things now that you didn't know back then, and you'd wished you knew now, or you knew back then what you know now. A lot of learning curves and a lot of growth in both my game and my maturity, knowing what to do in certain situations, and honestly, belief. Those who know my career and know the path that I took and the things that I dealt with, some were self-inflicted, and others were just timing. It's amazing what belief can do. I always knew that I was going to make it in the NHL and have an impact on an NHL team. I just believed it. I really manifested it, and it took longer than I wanted to, but again, that's part of the journey, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm a Stanley Cup champion, and now I have so much to give to others who are in this situation that I was in before.
So, again, I'm coming to a young team, and I'm going to be able to share what I've went through with these guys, and I'm just looking to really build off of my personal career, build off of what I did last year, continue to get better, and do everything that I can to help this team. But the stability is a big weight off my shoulders. For my family, I mean, they've been amazing. One to two-year deals is a very tough thing when you have a wife and kids. And so now we're going to be set in an unbelievable place to live. We're gonna be on a team that is looking to achieve great things, and I'm looking forward to it.
I wanted to ask you to touch briefly on the conversations with Q and with Pat. I'm wondering what the conversations with Pat were like. I'm just wondering what your talks and your connection with him was like initially.
Well, I've only spoken to them once, and that was when they acquired my rights. So, to be honest, I'm waiting for them to call again because I didn't really say much to them. I didn't want to put my cards out front to them, you know, show them my hand. So, I didn't really know what to say, what not to say, and I kept it brief. But they just reiterated how my style of play and the way that I did things the last two years, and the way I've played, has really set me up for success. They’re looking forward to having that in the lineup. Having a power forward and that physicality, that energy, that agitation is an important thing in this game. You need to put fear in your opponent, and I can do that. I can play in all three zones, and I can contribute.
I'm looking forward to doing everything that they need me to do and more. The conversations really just were appreciative of my style of play and how they saw me fitting into the lineup and into the mold of this team, kind of welcoming me and hoping that we can get something done.
I know, you've been a pretty vocal advocate for mental health and preparation for the mental side of the game. A number of guys are involved with the “Bell Let’s Talk” initiative. I just wanted to ask how you got into that side of things. You hear about the mental aspect of the game and how important it is, and then 99% of the training is physical, right? So, I just want to get a feel for your journey on the mental health and preparation side of things.
Yeah. Well, this is all from personal experience, and when I share things and when I try to do things, it's because I know that I have a platform as a hockey player. So, for the mental health stuff, I went through a tough battle, mentally, as a rookie and in my first couple of years, not understanding the business of hockey, to be completely honest with you. Not understanding the way things work. You’re the guy producing the most, you're playing top minutes, and you’re the top scorer of this team, but you're not getting called up. I didn't understand that.
And again, I was a kid. So I took work and brought it home all the time and I couldn't stop thinking about hockey. I couldn't disconnect from anything, and it was just negative thoughts, negative thoughts. So I got some help and, you know, it's important. When you're in a dark space and when you're going through things and when something consumes you so much that you feel like you're submerged in these thoughts, it's important to reach out and have kind of a third party just settle things down for you and put things into perspective. And so I was fortunate enough I had friends and family, and people who helped me out, and I got over the hump.
As an athlete, you're always looking to get better, and you're always thinking, ‘How can I do things to put myself in a position to succeed?’ But there's also times where you need to relax and enjoy the other side of life. I’m fortunate now; I have a beautiful wife, I have two beautiful children. That helps a lot, and you can see that in my career. It's taken off completely. I would say that's a tribute to just the mental part of things and how you can become like a better version of yourself on and off the ice just by appreciating different aspects of life itself.
When I talk about platform, as a professional athlete, that's kind of how I try to give my knowledge to other people around me. In Florida, and I'll continue to do this, I've done this my whole career; I like to work with the children's hospitals. I started doing it when I was 12 years old, but as a pro athlete, I started my rookie year, and I've continued. I've continued it every year in whichever city I was in. I worked with the children's hospitals. I called about once or twice a month, visit the kids, work with them, do activities with them, and just really, like I said, use my platform as a pro hockey player, because, you know, to them, you look like a hero. But you're trying to put a smile on their face and make them think about other things other than what they're going through. So I think the use of our platforms as hockey players is an important thing.
Going through your career, you went from getting drafted out of college, and then you went to the QMJHL, and then it was back and forth from the AHL to the NHL. How do you think that kind of resilience has translated to your on-ice game?
Yeah, it's determination, passion, and confidence. And belief. It really is a combination of all those things, and when I was at Boston University, it was some of the best years of my life. And I wish I didn't have to leave that program, but I made a decision based off of my hockey career. I felt it was the right decision to make. I'd say 99% of the people who were around me and telling me, advising me what to do, told me not to do this, not to make that decision. I did, and the only reason I did that is because I, again, believed in myself and the decision I was making was the right choice for me, and it worked out.
I left BU in December 2015 or 2016, and I played my first NHL game nine months later. That wasn’t in the picture when I was at BU. I didn't even think of the NHL back then. I was just focused on getting somewhere where I could play more hockey and keep developing. It's a tough thing to do when you play in the American League and you get older and you're kind of in and out of the NHL, 20 games, 15 games, and then people start putting a tag on you and making you feel like you're an AHL lifer and more and more prospects come in, more and more good players come to take your job.
And so you got to find that gear, and you got to find that something that ignites you inside. You got to be relentless. Once I got an opportunity to play in Boston, with the Bruins, I was on a one-way for the first time, and then I just felt it. I just felt like this is my opportunity, did well with it. Unfortunately, I went to waivers the year after, again, which was a very hard thing mentally, because you felt like you'd been in the NHL and you felt like you did well, and then you're back to square one. I got picked up by Calgary, broke my foot 40 games in, and now I'm stuck without a contract, thinking, ‘Did I do enough?’ Florida took a chance on me, and then I became a Stanley Cup champion, and the rest is history. There's a lot of things. There's a lot of things, but I think that passion that I have with my game stems from who I am as a person and my personality.
You mentioned playing against the Ducks, how young their roster is. You're not coming here to be a coach, but at the same time, what do you think you can offer those young players who are trying to establish themselves in the league and make an impact?
Yeah, whatever I can provide them, I mean, guidance and just being a pro and playing the right way and being as selfless as I can. I strive to be a good teammate. I strive to do everything I can to put the team in a position to succeed, whether that's blocking shots, hitting people, or anything I can do. It’s really just who I am as a person. I want to help the people around me. And win.
We do have some really good veterans on this team, too. It's a young team, but they got a good vet presence. You look at guys like (Chris) Kreider, (Alex) Killorn, these are big-time guys who I know those young guys will be sponges around. So I'm just trying to add on to that. I'm not trying to come in and disturb anything. I'm really trying to fit in and really be the puzzle piece to a bigger thing that's coming for the Anaheim Ducks, and I’m really excited.
You played for some really excellent NHL coaches: Jared Bednar, Jim Montgomery, Paul Maurice, and now Joel Quenneville. What does it mean to you to have that kind of resume, and then to now play under second best coach of all time?
I consider myself very lucky and very honored. This is NHL history, and I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about the game, because again, I'm still a fan of the game of hockey. I love learning about how different coaches view the game, how they think about it, and how they execute certain things, and I'm a fan. I'm really looking forward to learning from him and being a tool for him to use in any situation possible. It's gonna be a really fun time. Being around such a prestige coach like Joel, it’s an honor.
