Florida Panthers UFA forward is having a career year and could be a sneaky trade chip

Friday, March 6 is the NHL trade deadline, and the clock is loud now.

Jason Gregor floated Greer as possible trade fodder on the DFO Rundown, and the logic is simple. Greer is a pending UFA who can slide into almost any lineup.

He is not just a punch and chase guy anymore. Greer already has 11-10-21 this season, which is real production for a bottom six forward.

The hits are still there too, and last season he led Florida with 222 while playing 81 games.

This season is the part people need to catch up on. Greer has spent a lot of time in Florida’s top six because the injury list has been endless.

When Sam Bennett centered him, Greer actually kept up. He won puck races, got to the net, and he pushed his goal total to a personal best.

Florida’s season went sideways early when captain Aleksander Barkov was ruled out long term after knee surgery.

The standings show the damage, with the Panthers at 29-25-3 and sitting eighth in the Atlantic Division.

Panthers fans are frustrated, because this roster is supposed to bully the East, not shop for exits in late February.

The cap squeeze is the other layer. After last summer’s spending, Florida cannot keep everyone, especially on the margins.

Jonah Gadjovich complicates that conversation, but in a different way than people think. He already signed a two year deal that begins next season, so he is not the clean rental Greer is.

That makes Greer the easy call if you are trying to turn one expiring contract into a pick. Teams always pay for size, forecheck, and honest minutes.

Greer is 29, drafted in 2015 in the second round, 39th overall by the Colorado Avalanche.

If Florida wins a few games quickly, they can still talk themselves into holding. If they stumble again, moving Greer might be the first hard step toward reality.