Florida Panthers Sign Carter Verhaeghe to 8-Year Extension – Hockey Writers – NHL News

Just hours after raising the banner of their 2024 Stanley Cup victory, the Florida Panthers signed one of their key players to an eight-year extension. Starting in 2025-2026, Carter Verhaeghe will earn $7 million against the salary cap—the Sunshine State is the long-term home of the 29-year-old winger.

#FlaPanthers Carter Verhaeghe is 7th #NHL player signed for the 2032-33 season.

8 years x $7 million = $56 million

A total of $48 million of the deal comes with a signing bonus, making his salary $1 million per season. Great dedication from the cats.

– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 9, 2024

Verhaeghe is an interesting story, as he was a third-rounder who was traded twice before his NHL debut in 2019-20. He had a 13-point campaign in a limited role with the Tampa Bay Lightning that season, but really took off following his departure in free agency. The Panthers probably didn’t expect him to be an instant star when they gave him a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $1 million, but that’s exactly what happened.

With the Panthers in 2020-21, Verhaeghe scored 36 points in 43 contests with a plus-24 average. The team was so impressed that he extended him to a three-year deal that season with an AAV of $4.167 million, willing to take a very risky gamble on a player who was having a breakout campaign. Over his next three seasons, he scored a century in goals and 200 assists in 235 games. By doing so with quality metrics, Florida scored the highest with this deal.

While Verhaeghe was a huge asset to Florida’s top six during the regular season, the playoffs are where he really shined. In his postseason career with the Panthers, he has 10 game-winning goals and 53 points in 61 games. With a goal and a key assist in a 2-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, another contract extension was more than worth it. In fact, he took a discount.

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In their 2024-25 campaign, the Panthers will be looking for back-to-back championships. Recognizing Verhaeghe as a key player to their chances of eternal glory now and in the future, the Panthers have given him quite the raise.