Florida Panthers, Carter Verhaeghe working toward contract extension
The Florida Panthers are still in celebration mode following the team’s Stanley Cup victory earlier this week, but the world doesn’t stop spinning for anyone.
On Thursday, the NHL gathered in Las Vegas for three days that will mark the end of one season and the beginning of another.
Thursday night the star-studded NHL Awards took center stage from the Fontainebleau in Vegas, followed by the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday at the Sphere.
img_6014
Sunday, Panthers nation will all be focused back on South Florida as the Cats will hold their Stanley Cup Championship parade along A1A on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Then on Monday, July 1, NHL free agency opens, and free agents will start signing new contracts.
It’s an annual feeding frenzy that is always fun to track.
Additionally, some players who are still under contract will also sign extensions this summer to stay with their respective teams before getting close to hitting the open market.
One of those players might be Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe, who has one year left on his current deal.
The 28-year-old (he’ll be 29 in August) has played four seasons with Florida after being one of the first signings by Panthers General Manager Bill Zito back in 2020.
During his time with the Cats, Verhaeghe has racked up 118 goals and 236 points in 278 games while emerging as one of the NHL’s premiere clutch performers.
Verhaeghe’s original contract with Florida was a two-year, $2 million deal as he had yet to establish himself at the highest level, although he had just led the AHL in scoring a year prior.
His next offer from Zito came less than a year later, as the savvy GM looked to lock up Verhaeghe for an extended future in Sunrise after seeing that the young sniper was, in fact, the real deal.
With one year left on his original contract, Verhaeghe signed a three-year extension worth $12.5 million that carried an AAV (average annual value) of $4.16M per year during the summer of 2021.
Within ten months of initially signing with the Panthers, Verhaeghe had been locked up for five seasons and given a significant pay increase.
Now it seems both parties may be heading down a similar path, with another bump in pay likely heading Verhaeghe’s way.
This time, the tenacious forward is trending toward a six-year deal with an AAV in the area of $8 to $8.5 million, and the agreement could come at any time.
Verhaeghe has become a staple in the Panthers lineup, with his combination of speed, grit and determination personifying the kind of hockey that Florida wants to play.
He is one of 14 players currently under contract for the Panthers in 2024-25.
Zito heads into the offseason with just under $20 million in cap space to spend. A portion of that is expected to go to players coming off the Panthers books on July 1.
Among the players hitting free agency who were regulars in Florida’s lineup are Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour, Ryan Lomberg, Kevin Stenlund, Nick Cousins, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz, Dmitry Kulikov, Anthony Stolarz and trade deadline additions Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo.
There also will be attention paid to restricted free agents Anton Lundell and Josh Mahura.
It’s a delicate balancing act that’s going on in Florida’s front office.
While Zito clearly has his work cut out for him this summer, he and his staff are still keeping an eye on the future.
Along with Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad will also hit the open market following the upcoming season.
Could more extensions be on the way, or perhaps a trade?
Stay tuned.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
‘Humbling’: Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito reacts to Stanley Cup victory
Florida Panthers release 2024-25 preseason schedule
Matthew Tkachuk takes Stanley Cup into Atlantic Ocean, Panthers party with fans at Elbo Room
Florida Panthers receive Stanley Cup Champion treatment from Hard Rock Guitar Hotel
Panthers Stanley Cup Championship parade date, route set for Fort Lauderdale
unnamed