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Former Avalanche Forward Is Exploding Offensively
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- Former Avalanche Forward Is Exploding Offensively
A.J. Greer has come a long way since his days with the Colorado Avalanche.
The former Avs forward scored twice Tuesday night, although it wasn't enough to keep his team from falling 6-5 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks. Still, it was another nice night for a guy who has turned himself into a much more productive NHL forward over the last couple of seasons.
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It's a pretty big change from what Avalanche fans saw in Denver.
Greer spent three seasons with Colorado but never really found his scoring touch, finishing his time there with just one goal and five assists. He was more of a physical depth forward, and the offensive production simply wasn't there.
Things started to change after he moved on.
Greer bounced around a bit, spending time with the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames before landing with the Florida Panthers. He joined Florida during the second half of its back-to-back Stanley Cup run and was part of the group that won it all in 2025.
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His numbers weren't eye-popping that first season with the Panthers. Greer put up six goals and 11 assists in 81 regular-season games during the 2024-25 campaign, then chipped in two goals and an assist during Florida's playoff run.
But the following season was a different story.
Greer finished with 17 goals and 15 assists in 78 games, giving him 32 points and easily the best offensive season of his NHL career. For someone who had managed just six points across three seasons in Colorado, that was quite a jump.
Florida rewarded him with a four-year, $17 million contract, and he's now continuing to show that his breakout wasn't just a one-season thing.
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Tuesday's two-goal performance was the latest example. Even though his team came up short in overtime, Greer found the net twice and added another multi-goal game to his career totals.
He's now done that four times in the NHL.
The first came on October 15, 2022, when Greer was playing for Boston. He recorded three points in a 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
He pulled off the three-point feat twice more during the 2025-26 season with Florida, recording three points in an 8-3 win over Nashville on November 24 and doing it again in a 4-3 victory over Buffalo in January.
It's a pretty interesting career turn for a player who didn't do much damage on the scoresheet in Colorado. Greer has always had the physical side of the game, but now he's adding offense at a rate we didn't really see during his time with the Avalanche.
Sometimes it takes a few stops before a player finds the right fit. Greer seems to have found his, and Tuesday's performance was another reminder of how far he's come.
