A.J. Greer signed with the Avs but where will he play?

The Avalanche wrapped up the last of their non-Mikko Rantanen business this morning when they inked A.J. Greer to a one-year contract. It’s a modest raise for Greer, who will make only $735K in the NHL but $90K in the AHL, which is up from the $70K he got last year to be one of the best players for the Colorado Eagles.

And that’s the rub with Greer. He’s produced like very few Avalanche prospects in the AHL and yet he couldn’t seem to get a meaningful role in Denver. While he appeared in 15 games, he scored just two points (1g, 1a) and averaged the lowest ice time of all 20 forwards who appeared in a game for the Avs last year.

Then he’d go back to Loveland and resume tearing it up for the Eagles, as he put up a career-high 44 points (19g, 25A) in just 54 games.

Why the disconnect?

I went to Loveland after one of his demotions and talked with Greer, who was visibly upset and was unafraid to express his frustration.

“[The Avs] were really happy with me,” Greer said. “I’m pissed off. I should be pissed off. Anyone in that situation would be pissed off. I’m not going to take it lightly. I’m going to come here and play pissed off. It’s nothing against them but I don’t want anyone taking my dream away.”

Greer has nothing left to prove on the ice in the AHL but clearly, there were other concerns at play here because Greer’s play should have resulted in a permanent promotion.

In speaking with people in both Loveland and Denver, a theme began to develop when talking about Greer struggling to find a home with the Avs: maturity was an issue.

This was a surprising revelation given Greer won the AHL’s Man of the Year award back in 2017 thanks to his contributions to the San Antonio community. And yet, it seemed to follow Greer all of last year.

There were small interactions in the Avalanche locker room that suggested Greer was struggling to fit in, even with a player group that was similar in age. The coaching staff was uninterested in giving him more opportunity and he was never in sync with his teammates.

I talked with Greer about some of his tattoos after practice one day. In Greek mythology, the Titan named Atlas is punished after leading a rebellion against Zeus and is condemned with holding up the world on his shoulders for eternity. Greer has a tattoo of Atlas holding the world up with demons below trying to attack him and he said he resonated with the symbolism, that it exemplified the war he was at with himself.

On July 8 of this year, Greer all but signed off on the questions of his maturity when he was arrested for a fight in Manhattan. While the incident was minor, it’s still not in his rearview mirror as he is scheduled to appear at a September 4 hearing regarding the assault charges.

Greer’s play during the season had warranted the Avalanche retaining his rights and they did that when they extended him a qualifying offer. His arrest came after that and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence the Avs left him as the last restricted free agent for them to sign (except Mikko Rantanen, whose situation is unique among Avs RFAs).

Colorado’s aggressive approach to adding forward depth would appear to put Greer on the outside looking in for an opening night roster spot.

Another factor to consider is Greer’s waiver eligibility. For the first time in his career, Greer will have to pass through waivers should the Avalanche try to send him to the AHL at any point. While Greer’s legal issues might be cause for concern, they should be minor enough for another organization to take a chance on him should they want to roll the dice on his talent.

Greer as a player would seem to fit what the Avalanche are looking for on the ice as he’s a skilled power forward known for agitating opponents. All of that is something Colorado should be valuing but clearly, Greer’s off-ice issues are playing a role in holding him back.

Where Greer goes from here doesn’t appear to be entirely in his hands anymore. The Avs seemingly have planted enough quality players in front of him that they aren’t concerned with having to make use of him.

Yet, Greer is talented enough that should the lightbulb come on and he uses this summer as gut-check time and he finds his way through his demons, he could still become a quality player for the Avalanche.

He’s a hyper-competitive person who can’t be counted out just yet but it sure feels like this is last-shot time for Greer to prove he belongs.