A.J. Greer will become a UFA on July 1, and at the moment, the Florida Panthers’ plans for the 29-year-old winger are unclear. What they must do is decide whether he is a third or fourth liner and decipher where he would fit in the lineup going forward.
Previously, we outlined four restricted free agents the Florida Panthers should look to bring back next season, and today, we are going to look at the scenarios that exist for the Panthers and unrestricted free agent A.J. Greer.
Greer is the Panthers’ second most important UFA, as goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky holds the mantle at the moment. Reports indicate that the Panthers and Bobrovsky have been at odds in initial contract negotiations, creating significant uncertainty.
Looking at the situation at hand with Greer, things are different. While Bobrovsky posted career-worst numbers at 37 years old, Greer is coming off a career season at just 29.
In 78 games, Greer posted 17 goals and 32 points while averaging 12:26 of ice time. Without a doubt, if the Panthers were healthy, Greer would not have seen the uptick in ice time, and his production would have reflected that.
But Greer took advantage of the situation, and he’s likely proven to plenty of teams around the NHL that he can handle a third-line role, rather than just being a physical nuisance on the fourth line.
The question is whether GM Bill Zito and the Panthers organization believe he is a third- or fourth-liner going forward. The Panthers already recognized this dilemma, as they were open to making a move at the trade deadline if a team met their expectations. Ultimately, the Panthers felt the returns weren’t strong enough to trade Greer.
If every Panthers forward is healthy, Greer doesn’t slot higher than the fourth line. He doesn’t bring the skill and production that Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, Brad Marchand, or Eetu Luostarinen bring. He’d have no choice but to accept his role on the fourth line, and the Panthers can’t afford to pay a fourth liner, third line money.
If Greer is willing to accept that, the Panthers would likely gladly bring him back. But if he believes he is capable of being a third-line player on an NHL team, testing the free-agent market and capitalizing on the rising salary cap is the play.
It’s also important to note that Greer has never signed a contract with an average annual value greater than $850,000. The opportunity to cash in is very tempting.
Greer is an interesting name to watch this off-season. With his 6-foot-3 frame, Stanley Cup-winning pedigree, and former status as a second-round pick in 2015, Greer brings traits any team would love to add to their roster.
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