The Florida Panthers were carrying the expectations that come with back-to-back Stanley Cup championships as they started the 2025-26 season. Instead, injuries, roster instability, and a late-season slide pushed them out of the playoff picture and forced the organization to shift its focus toward the offseason much earlier than expected.
With several roster questions to resolve and free agency approaching in a few weeks, attention has started to turn toward a 2025 Stanley Cup champion forward whose future with the Panthers appears increasingly uncertain.
Elliotte Friedman Suggests A.J. Greer Could Test Free Agency as Panthers Face Cap Decisions
A.J. Greer is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after completing a two-year contract that carried an annual cap hit of $850,000.
During a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman indicated that Greer may be preparing to explore his options on the open market rather than immediately pursuing a return to Florida.
“I did have someone tell me that there’s word going around that AJ Greer is going to hit the market,” Friedman said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of guys who kind of go out there and check and see what their market is on July 1st and decide if there’s any chance they go back to where they are or they take something else.”
Friedman added that Greer could generate significant interest around the league because of his role on a recent Stanley Cup-winning team.
“But I heard it looked like Greer was going to hit the market, and I think that’s going to be a pretty interesting player. A good fourth-liner on a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, you could see the market being pretty good for him.”
While Greer was linked to several contenders before the March trade deadline, Florida ultimately decided against moving him despite entering seller mode after falling out of the playoff race. The Panthers instead held onto the veteran forward and left the door open for future contract discussions.
However, the economics of a new deal may complicate those plans.
Greer is coming off a career-best season that saw him score 17 goals and record 32 points. This production has significantly improved his market value compared to the contract he just wrapped up.
For Florida, that creates a challenge.
The Panthers have roughly $15.3 million in projected cap space, but they also have only 18 players under contract and major roster needs to address, including their goaltending situation.
General manager Bill Zito must fill multiple roster spots whilst managing a salary structure already centered around expensive core players such as Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Seth Jones.
Florida has historically preferred inexpensive options in bottom-six roles, making it difficult to justify a sizable raise for a depth forward. Unless Greer accepts a discounted contract to remain with the organization, the Panthers may find themselves priced out of the market.
With free agency drawing closer and interest expected to grow, the signs increasingly point toward Greer testing his value elsewhere, potentially bringing his tenure in Florida to an end.
