Under the Radar Additions by Florida Panthers Paying Dividends

SUNRISE — One of the more underrated aspects for the Florida Panthers in their run to the Stanley cup championship last summer was the play of their fourth line.

They had to replace almost the entire thing come July 1.

Florida had a group of five who regularly saw time on the fourth line at the end of the season and only one, Jonah Gadjovich, returned.

When free agency opened, Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund signed two-year deals elsewhere.

Steven Lorentz landed in Toronto, and Kyle Okposo retired.

The Panthers made a number of additions to replace what they had lost, and, as the season has gone on it appears they all have been strong additions.

Jesper Boqvist was one of the first to sign on, then Tomas Nosek and A.J. Greer were added.

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Due to injuries and other circumstances, Florida has rarely been able to ice a consistent fourth line aside from a handful of games.

Boqvist has played up the lineup; Nosek missed most of the preseason and was out for the first 10-plus games of the season. Gadjovich has been out due to various injuries.

But the fourth line, with Mackie Samoskevich giving a strong showing, has been good all season.

“In a perfect world,’’ coach Paul Maurice said, “you would run the same three guys. But what is different with a fourth line is it is getting pulled in two directions. We have the Gadjovich injury, which limits things. But whenever someone in the top-9 is out, one of those guys comes up. So, you don’t have the same kind of consistency on the fourth line, but if you can get two guys going, get a rhythm going, you’re OK.’’

They certainly have earned the trust of Maurice who said the fourth line was key to Florida’s win in Edmonton last week which earned them all power play time late in the Panthers win over the Wild.

Greer and Nosek, Maurice said, are the two glue pieces to the fourth line.

“We are just coming back to the basics, relying on each other to do what we do best and not do too much,” Greer told FHN.

“Coach gives us a game plan, and he gives us a lot of confidence. He tells us ‘we don’t expect anything – but exactly this.’ So there is no pressure to do more than we’re asked. To be relied on defensively against a top line in a tie with five minutes to go, that gives us a lot of confidence. I think we have been very reliable and have generated in all three zones. That translates to offense.’’

Although Nosek and Boqvist were known commodities as solid fourth-line combatants from their days with the likes of the Devils and Bruins, Greer was a little bit of an unknown when he signed a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers.

After being waived by the Bruins, Greer was claimed by Calgary and had six goals and 12 points in 59 games for the Flames.

He came into the season with 167 games of action with Colorado, New Jersey, the Bruins, and Flames.

Greer, the Panthers figured, would not only give the Panthers some toughness on the fourth line, but some scoring punch as well.

“The second day of training camp is as hard as I have ever seen a guy work,’’ Maurice said. “He was hurting from Day 1. But he was willing to push himself, is just dying to get better. He works on his hands, all aspects of his game. But the base of his game is playoff hockey. He’s going to play like that all year long. When the puck drops on the playoffs, he is going to be able to play that style for a long time. He’s a keeper for us.’’

His four goals — including a shorthanded one Sunday in Tampa — are two off his career high; his nine points are three away from his career-high as well.

Greer leads the Panthers with 99 hits — 18 more than Eetu Luostarinen.

He has fit right in — and has played in all 36 games thus far.

“It has been amazing to be a part of this organization,’’ Greer said. “The way they treat the players, our families, everything around it has been great.

“Then you look at the mentality of the players here. Every guy in this room wants to win. I have never seen a team so dedicated to winning every single night like this one. Of course, some nights don’t work out, but guys prepare like every game is their last. They are dialed in on what they need to do. You see when we play cohesively, when everyone is dialed in, it’s a blowout win for us, pretty much every time.”