The New Jersey Devils, entering 2026-27 again need a bit of a makeover on their fourth line, with a void that has existed since that group consisted of Miles Wood, Michael McLeod, and Nathan Bastian.
With a myriad of expiring contracts for depth pieces and the likelihood that the Devils try to offload Stefan Noesen or Maxim Tsyplakov for cap flexibility, it's likely that some of their solutions will be found in free agency. The 2026 free agent class may be extremely weak up top, but there are a number of appealing options for fourth-line gets.
One such option is ex-Devil A.J. Greer, who has spent the last two seasons with the Florida Panthers, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2024-25. The 6'3", 209-pound grinder is coming off a career-best season in which he logged highs in goals (17), assists (15), and, of course, total points (32). He did so while playing the most per-game minutes of his career, 12:26.
From an underlying perspective, things have been quite excellent for Greer since he turned into a lineup mainstay in 2022-23. In his last four campaigns, he has only ended a season with an expected goal share (xGF%) of below 52.95% once: an outlier year in 2023-24, where he was on a weak Calgary Flames team.
A.J. Greer could be a good option for the New Jersey Devils
Greer certainly isn't a world-beater offensively, despite the strong production he had in a bottom-six role this past season. He extends cycle opportunities well enough, though his bread and butter is initiating them by virtue of relentless forechecking. As one would expect from a player of his size and role, crash-and-bang hockey is what Greer is most comfortable doing. He crashes the net, plays with an edge, and contributes to his fair share of big hits and fisticuffs.
Defensively, Greer shines as a fourth-liner, being constantly engaged, with a relentless motor and an incessant need to get the puck out of his own zone. His quick-burst skating ability allows him to pounce on loose pucks frequently and clear the zone efficiently. Most of those zone exits turned into controlled entries the other way.
The only problem with Greer, however, is a pretty big one -- at least for New Jersey.
AFP Analytics projects his next contract at three years and nearly $2.8 million per season. Evolving Hockey predicts that his next deal will be for two years at $2.19 million. For a fourth-line caliber player, that is an exorbitant amount of money, especially given Sunny Mehta's track record of preferring true bargain-bin valuations for the fourth-line options in Florida.
If the money works out to be much, much lower than those projections -- well under $2 million AAV -- then Greer is a perfect bet to make. At that price tag, though, perhaps it is in the Devils' best interest to exercise a bit of caution.
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