Verhaeghe looks to raise game again in playoffs with Panthers
Forward has evolved into clutch NHL player after several years in minors
The 27-year-old forward hopes to take another step with the Florida Panthers this postseason when they face the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round, beginning with Game 1 at TD Garden on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS).
"It gives you a lot of confidence when you can do it in the playoffs," Verhaeghe said.
Verhaeghe was brimming with confidence after helping the Panthers defeat the Washington Capitals in six games in the first round of the playoffs last season for their first series win since 1996. Verhaeghe had 12 points (six goals, six assists) in the six games and scored the winning goal in each of the final three, including two in overtime. Only Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers had more points in the first round with 14 in seven games.
Verhaeghe can't remember having a comparable series at any level.
"I've played in a lot of playoffs, not that many in the NHL, but it was kind of crazy," he said.
An unspecified injury hampered Verhaeghe in the second round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, however, and the Panthers were swept in four games. But Verhaeghe's play against the Capitals proved to be a steppingstone moment that catapulted him to another level this season.
He set NHL career-highs with 42 goals (tied for ninth in the NHL) and 73 points and equaled his career-high with 31 assists in 81 games to help Florida (42-32-8) rally to qualify for the playoffs as the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers were nine points out of the second wild card heading into their first game after the NHL holiday break on Dec. 29 and, after climbing back into contention, they fell three points out with a four-game losing streak from March 21-27 before going 6-0-1 from March 29-April 10 to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth straight season.
That surge included Verhaeghe matching the Panthers record by scoring four goals, including his 40th of the season, in a 7-0 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 1.
"Every year, I'm trying to get better in different ways," Verhaeghe said. "It never feels like a straight line. There's always dips and stuff, but I feel like I have a lot more potential that I haven't tapped into and there's another level I can definitely get to. I just have to keep building on it."
Verhaeghe's path to being a 40-goal scorer in the NHL required persistence through some challenging seasons after he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (No. 82) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He spent time in the ECHL with Missouri (2015-17) and American Hockey League with Bridgeport (2015-17) and Syracuse (2017-19) before finally breaking into the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a depth forward in 2019-20.
After getting 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in 52 regular-season games and two assists in eight playoff games during Tampa Bay's run to winning the Stanley Cup, he signed with Florida, where he's flourished in a regular role.
Verhaeghe increased his production to 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) in 43 regular-season games and three points (two goals, one assists) in six playoff games in 2020-21 before jumping to 55 points (24 goals, 31 assists) in 78 regular-season games and his outburst in the playoffs last season.
"It really is a great story," said Marty Williamson, who coached Verhaeghe with Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League for four seasons (2011-15). "I remember him getting drafted and then wondering, 'Why is he in the ECHL?' a couple years later. It looked like things weren't working out. … Now, he's the player I thought he always would be. He's detailed. His skating has improved. He's become a top-end skater. He's worked hard at that.
"He always wanted to be 'the guy.' Even though he's got a very low-(key) demeanor, he loved playoff time."
Williamson, now coach and general manager of Barrie in the OHL, recalled a first-round playoff series against North Bay in 2014 when Verhaeghe helped Niagara, who were heavy underdogs as the No. 7 seed, take a 3-1 series lead with four points in the first four games (two goals, two assists), including the winning goal with 41 seconds left in Game 3, before sustaining a high-ankle sprain in Game 4.
"He actually came back and played in Game 7, kind of on one leg, and we still lost 2-1 in the final game, but he carried our team," Williamson said. "He just has that ability to up his game at big moments, and those are usually intelligent, very competitive driven guys. That's the things you wouldn't see on the outside with Carter, just how competitive he is."
That's what stood out to Paul Maurice after he took over as Panthers coach last offseason.
"I didn't know much about him," Maurice said. "It would be all playoff video that I saw. … He plays hard. He doesn't come in and out of games, and people have considered him streaky. I haven't found him streaky in terms of his effort. He gets to those playoffs, and he's trained hard to be ready for the playoffs and, God, he just gets excited for them."
Verhaeghe's work ethic, enthusiasm and positive attitude carried him through the slow start to his professional career and have helped him thrive with Florida. Those traits are also contagious inside the locker room.
"He comes to the rink, and he makes your day a lot better than it was and it was going to be," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "And the way he's been playing since he came here, it's really nice. I didn't know what type of player he was before he came here and since Day One he impressed me, and he keeps impressing me every day."
Verhaeghe will have another opportunity to impress in the playoffs this season. The Panthers are in the opposite position from a year ago when they won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top team in the regular season and a favorite against the Capitals.
This season, Boston is the heavy favorite after winning the Presidents' Trophy and setting NHL records in wins (65-12-5) and points (135).
But after battling throughout the second half to qualify, Verhaeghe believes Florida is playoff ready.
"A lot of times you're just trying to get into the playoffs, and you never know what can happen," Verhaeghe said. "It's a crazy game. (Favored) teams have been beaten. It's hockey. You never know what can happen."
