Carter Verhaeghe contract: How much does the Florida Panthers center earn in salary?

Carter Verhaeghe, the 27-year-old hockey centre for the Florida Panthers, inked a three-year contract with the Florida Panthers on July 28, 2021, for $12.5 million.

The contract comprises $4.1 million in cap hit with an average annual salary of $4.1 million. The young hockey player also got $500,000 in signing bonuses. Thus, he has $4.5 million in base salary and a minor salary of $5 million for the 2023-24 season.

The young hockey star was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) entry draft with the 82nd overall pick. He has been associated with several popular NHL teams like the Leafs, New York Islanders, and even the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Carter Verhaeghe, who was poised to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the Lightning won the Stanley Cup championship, had to worry about not obtaining a qualifying offer from them because of salary cap restrictions.

He was, therefore, given the opportunity to consider free agency. Verhaeghe made the decision to continue his career in Florida on October 9, 2020, where he signed a lucrative two-year contract for $2 million with the Florida Panthers.

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Carter Verhaeghe’s professional hockey career

Before he could make his debut for the Maple Leafs, Verhaeghe became part of a multi-player trade that the Leafs arranged prior to the start of training camp. He was exchanged for Michael Grabner by the New York Islanders on September 18, 2015. Verhaeghe split his playing time in the following two seasons between the Islanders' minor league clubs, the Missouri Mavericks in the ECHL and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL.

Verhaeghe was sent by the Islanders to the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 1, 2017, in exchange for Kristers Gudevskis, despite having just one year left on his entry-level contract. The UFA prospect of the Panthers rapidly made a name for himself as a prolific scorer in the 2017–18 AHL season with the Syracuse Crunch, where he played his first full season. In 58 games, he racked up an impressive 48 points, solidifying himself as a top-six player.

Verhaeghe continued to progress and had an outstanding 2018–19 campaign. With 82 points in 76 games, he earned the renowned John B. Sollenberger Trophy, becoming the first-ever Crunch skater to win the AHL scoring crown.

The Panthers’ left winger led the squad in scoring with an outstanding 12 points during the 2022 playoffs, showcasing his exceptional abilities. One of his most notable performances occurred in Game 6 against the Washington Capitals, when he scored an overtime goal to give the Panthers a historic playoff series triumph.