Gudas traded to Panthers by Ducks for Greer

Radko Gudas had his rights traded to the Florida Panthers by the Anaheim Ducks for A.J. Greer on Monday.

The 36-year-old defenseman can be an unrestricted free agent Wednesday. He had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 56 regular-season games for the Ducks this season and no points in one Stanley Cup Playoff game. Gudas returns to the Panthers, where he played three seasons from 2020-23 and helped them advance to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He signed with the Ducks on July 1, 2023, and was named captain Sept. 19, 2024.

"Radko Gudas captained our club with heart and soul over the last two seasons while making a great impact in our community," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "We offer our thanks and wish him great success going forward."

Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round (No. 66) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Gudas has 211 points (42 goals, 169 assists) in 885 regular-season games for the Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Panthers and Ducks and 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 58 playoff games. He had one assist in five games for Team Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

The Panthers' trade for Gudas comes eight days after they acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators for two 1st-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft (Nos. 9 and 25), a 2nd-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional 1st-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft. The deal reunited the former Senators captain with his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, after Florida (40-38-4) finished seventh in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

Forward Garnet Hathaway was sent to the Panthers by the Flyers on June 25 with a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft for a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Florida also traded forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken on June 21 for a first-round pick in 2026 and a conditional 2nd-round pick in 2027.

Greer, a 29-year-old forward, is another potential UFA. He set NHL career highs in goals (17), assists (15) and points (32) in 78 regular-season games this season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2025 and has 81 points (36 goals, 45 assists) in 326 regular-season games for the Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and the Panthers, and three points (two goals, one assist) in 16 playoff games. 

"We hope to sign A.J. to a contract and look forward to what he can bring to our club," Verbeek said.

The Ducks also traded the rights to defenseman John Carlson to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 27, and forward Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues and defenseman Olen Zellweger to the Buffalo Sabres on June 26. They went 43-33-6 to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2018 and advanced to the Western Conference Second Round, a six-game loss to the Golden Knights.