The Florida Panthers started their season by splitting their first two games. In their first game, They took down the Boston Bruins, a team they’ve defeated in the playoffs the last two seasons, by a score of 6-4. In their second game, they dropped their first road game of the season to the Ottawa Senators by a score of 3-1. While it is still too early in the season to focus on the standings, this ties with five other teams for first in the Atlantic Division and trails the top spot in the NHL by two points.
Immediately following their game against the Bruins, Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito announced during a post-game presser with forward Carter Verhaeghe that he was given an eight-year $56 million contract extension worth $7 million annually. That is definitely an unusual place to announce a new deal, but it sends a message about how close Zito is with his players. With how successful Verhaeghe has played for the Panthers, especially in the postseason, this deal is a long time coming.
Verhaeghe’s Time in Florida
One of the first acquisitions by Zito as a general manager, Verhaghe came to the Panthers on Oct. 9, 2020, in a familiar setting. He came in as a Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning the previous season. Despite playing in 52 games and eight playoff games, it was hard for him to find a role with the Bolts as they had a roster with such players as Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, and Anthony Cirelli. That offseason, he was brought in just four hours down southeast with the Panthers on a cheap deal. Little did Zito know, he was going to become a huge part of the Panthers’ core.
In his first season, Verhaeghe made an immediate impact. Through 43 games, he had 18 goals and 18 assists. He scored his first career playoff goal and finished his first postseason as a Panther with two goals and an assist through six games. In his second season, he would establish himself as Mr. Clutch with three game-winning goals in the playoffs. One of those gave the Panthers their first playoff series win since 1996.
Carter Verhaeghe has spent the last four seasons with the Florida Panthers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
The following season, he was phenomenal in the postseason. He scored seven goals and assisted on 10 others, including a game-winning goal that sent the Bruins packing after their historic regular season.
He touched the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career last season. He currently leads the Panthers all-time in playoff goals with 26, overtime goals with five, and game-winning goals with 10.
“Ever since I got to South Florida, I knew that I wanted to be a Panther. Now that I know I’m going to get to keep being one for a long time, it’s an amazing feeling.”
The next eight years are going to be a lot of fun for him and the team, and he wanted that the moment he landed in Broward County, Florida.
Is Another Cup in Verhaeghe’s Future?
With his current deal, he, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Gustav Forsling are now locked up long-term for Florida. The team around Verhaeghe has shown they can stay competitive year after year and go win Lord Stanley’s holy grail.
He can be a key contributor if they find a way to do it again. With the accomplishments he’s been a part of with this franchise, there is little doubt he can continue to make more.
