Ducks Secure AJ Greer with Four-Year Deal and Extend Qualifying Offers to Key Prospects

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Following a recent trade involving the rights to former captain Radko Gudas, the Anaheim Ducks have officially signed forward AJ Greer to a four-year contract worth $4.25 million per season. The announcement came on Tuesday, just ahead of the official start of NHL free agency.

The news was first reported by PuckPedia and subsequently confirmed by prominent NHL insiders Pierre LeBrun, Elliotte Friedman, and Frank Seravalli.

The new agreement includes a 10-team no-trade clause spanning the duration of the four-year term. The signing occurs less than 24 hours before the free agency period opens on Wednesday morning.

Gudas, who served as the Ducks’ captain for the past two seasons, has yet to sign with the Florida Panthers following the rights exchange. The 36-year-old Czech defenseman dealt with various lower-body injuries during the latter part of this season, appearing in only 56 regular-season games and one playoff contest.

“Wearing this jersey and serving as captain was a privilege that I’ll always be proud of,” Gudas shared via Instagram on Tuesday. “Thank you for the support, the memories and for making my family and me feel at home from day one. Anaheim will always mean a lot to us.”

By acquiring Gudas’ expiring rights, Anaheim secured the exclusive ability to negotiate with Greer prior to the general free agency window.

Greer, a Stanley Cup winner with Florida two seasons ago, is a physical bottom-six forward who saw significant statistical growth last year, recording career highs in both goals (17) and points (32). His improved production was aided by an increase in ice time during a challenging season for the Panthers.

Greer’s style aligns well with the expectations of Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, offering a reliable checking game and strong underlying metrics. His five-on-five analytics in Florida were impressive, including high shot-attempt shares and expected goals shares, suggesting he will also provide valuable depth to the team’s penalty kill.

The addition of Greer likely impacts the roster depth of Anaheim’s pending unrestricted free agents, including Ross Johnston, Jeff Viel, and Jansen Harkins. With Greer locked in, competition for bottom-six roles will intensify, featuring players like Nikita Nesterenko, Sam Colangelo, and Nathan Gaucher, as well as potential contributions from 2025 first-round pick Roger McQueen.

Ducks issue qualifying offers to key RFAs

In additional roster management, the Ducks issued qualifying offers on Monday to maintain the rights of several restricted free agents. These offers were extended to forwards Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Sasha Pastujov; defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Tyson Hinds; and goaltenders Calle Clang and Vyacheslav Buteyets.

Conversely, forwards Jan Mysak and Jaxsen Wiebe, along with defensemen Jeremie Biakabutuka and Kyle Masters, did not receive offers and will become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday. In a recent transaction, the rights to Masters were exchanged with Carolina in a deal involving the rights to Noah Philp.

While these qualifying offers must be signed by July 15 to remain valid, the move serves as a procedural step to retain talent. Anaheim is expected to pursue long-term extensions for core stars Carlsson and Gauthier, while also working to retain Mintyukov and Hinds. Although goaltender Calle Clang has opted to play in Sweden, the Ducks will maintain his NHL rights through this offer.

General manager Pat Verbeek noted last week that negotiations regarding long-term commitments for Carlsson and Gauthier remain ongoing.

Prospects gather for development camp

The Ducks also hosted their nine latest draft picks and top prospects for a three-day orientation program at Great Park Ice this week.

The camp focused on off-ice conditioning and organizational integration rather than full-contact scrimmages, with on-ice sessions limited to fundamental skating assessments.

Interviews were conducted with top prospects Roger McQueen and Tarin Smith, along with several members of the 2026 draft class. Full video coverage of these sessions is available below.

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