BIOGRAPHY
Carter Verhaeghe was born August 14, 1995, in Waterdown, Ontario. He is a forward in the NHL.
Prior to his first professional season, Verhaeghe was included in a multi-player trade prior to training camp by the Maple Leafs to the New York Islanders in exchange for Michael Grabner on September 18, 2015. He split the following two seasons between the Islanders affiliates' the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL and Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL. With one year remaining on his entry-level contract, Verhaeghe was traded by the Islanders to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Kristers Gudļevskis on July 1, 2017. In the 2017–18 season with the Syracuse Crunch, Verhaeghe in his first full year in the AHL, secured a top six scoring role scoring a breakout 48 points in 58 games. In the following 2018–19 season, Verhaeghe captured the first AHL scoring title ever by a Crunch skater, claiming the John B. Sollenberger Trophy with 82 points in 76 games. His 34 goals tied Crunch teammate Alex Barré-Boulet in league scoring to share the Willie Marshall Award. Verhaeghe holds the Crunch's single-season total point record with 82 points. On July 5, 2019, Verhaeghe was signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Lightning. On September 30, 2019, the Lightning announced that Verhaeghe had made the team's opening night roster. On October 3, 2019, Verhaeghe appeared in his first career NHL game, which came in a 5–2 Lightning win over the visiting Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena. October 5, 2019, Verhaeghe recorded his first career NHL assist and point in a 3–4 loss to the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. On December 7, 2019, Verhaeghe recorded his first career NHL goal and first career multi-point game in a 7–1 Lightning win over the visiting San Jose Sharks at Amalie Arena. He scored his first NHL hat trick on January 7, 2020 in a 9–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. On August 15, 2020, Verhaeghe skated in his first career NHL playoff game. In that game Verhaeghe recorded his first career playoff assist and point. Tampa would go on to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games, and Verhaeghe would become the second Sound Tigers player to win the Stanley Cup. Shortly after claiming the Championship, as an impending restricted free agent with arbitration rights and due to salary cap constraints, Verhaeghe was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Lightning and was released to explore free agency. On October 9, 2020, Verhaeghe remained in Florida, agreeing to a two-year, $2 million contract with the Florida Panthers. In the shortened 2020–21 season, Verhaeghe would have a breakout year, scoring 36 points in 43 games with a plus-24. He would signed a three-year, $12.5 million extension with the Panthers on July 31, 2021. During the 2022 playoffs, Verhaeghe would score 12 points, including an overtime goal in Game 6 against the Washington Capitals to give the Panthers their first playoff series win since 1996.
During the 2022 playoffs, Verhaeghe scored a team-leading 12 points, including an overtime goal in Game 6 against the Washington Capitals to give the Panthers their first playoff series win since 1996. The following year, Verhaeghe scored the series-winning goal in overtime of Game 7 in their first round series against the 65-win, 135-point Boston Bruins.
