Carter Verhaeghe is no longer waiting as a free agent. He will be with the Florida Panthers for many years.
Verhaeghe and the Panthers have agreed on an eight-year contract extension worth $56 million. The announcement came shortly after the Stanley Cup champions started their season by defeating the Boston Bruins 6-4 on Tuesday night.
“This guy’s a Florida Panther,” said general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito. “We’re very blessed to have him.”
The two-time Cup champion, who also won with Tampa Bay, is entering his fifth season with the Panthers. Last season, he scored 42 goals and had 73 points, and the year before, he scored 34 goals and had 72 points, helping Florida win the title.
“To be a Florida Panther for this long already is a huge honor for me,” Verhaeghe said. “To even extend it longer, I’m just so grateful to the organization.”
In addition, Verhaeghe scored 11 goals in the playoffs last season, with his last goal coming in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, when Florida defeated Edmonton 2-1 for the franchise’s first title.
There were signs that a deal was close, especially during the Panthers’ championship ring ceremony on Monday night. Panthers owner Vincent Viola handed out the rings to players one by one, and when it was Verhaeghe’s turn, he received an extra message — a promise from the owner that he would stay with the team.
A day later, the deal was finalized, just as Viola had indicated before Tuesday’s game.
“It’s what I wanted,” Verhaeghe said. “It was cool. He said some really nice things to everyone. It was awesome.”
Verhaeghe is now part of the core group of Panthers players who are signed through at least 2030. This group includes Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, and Gustav Forsling.
“It feels so good,” Verhaeghe said. “They’re like brothers to me. Last year, it felt so good to be able to win with this core. … The friendships I’ve made here are lifelong, and I’m just so proud to be a Panther.”
