Whether he was on the first or second line, Carter Verhaeghe terrorized opposing goaltenders once again in 2022-23 while achieving new career-high marks in points (73) and goals (42).
In addition to leading the Panthers, his 42 goals were tied for ninth-most in the NHL.
"He's got an incredible release on his shot," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Verhaeghe. "He works hard at his game. He's trying to get better every day. Some good goal scorers are hard to convince to do the other things, and he's willing to work hard. He's willing to battle on the boards and improve on his game. He can score more. I think there's another level he can get to."
More? A scary thought for the rest of the NHL.
Only just surpassing 200 games in the league this season, Verhaeghe consistently found ways to make a dent on the scoresheet in 2022-23. He had four different point streaks of at least four games, including a career-long streak of eight games from March 10-25 during the playoff push.
After scoring a pair of goals in the Homer Opener, he went on to finish with a whopping 10 multi-goal games. The only other player to come close to that on the Cats was Matthew Tkachuk, who had seven multi-goal showings. After those two, no other player posted more than four of them.
Of course, that production often led to points in the standings.
In games in which Verhaeghe scored multiple goals, the Panthers went 8-1-1.
"He's worked a tremendous amount on his shot the last couple years," teammate Sam Reinhart said when asked about Verhaeghe's scoring. "I've seen it, and now he's getting rewarded for it."
Those rewards continued to be reaped in the playoffs.
Helping the Panthers push all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for just the second time in the franchise's 29-year history, Verhaeghe finished second on the team in goals (7) and points (17).
Coming up in the clutch, seven of his goals were game-winners, including his unforgettable strike in overtime to help the Panthers cap off their upset of the Bruins in Game 7 of Round 1.
Nailing down the first-ever win for the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, Verhaeghe also scored the game-winning goal in the extra frame against the Knights in Game 3 at FLA Live Arena.
Quickly becoming somewhat of a folk hero in South Florida, Verhaeghe already stands as the franchise's all-time leader in playoff goals (15), while also ranking second in playoff points (32).
"We fell short a little bit, but it was an awesome two months," Verhaeghe said of the playoff run. "I enjoyed every minute of it. There were just so many crazy memories that will last a lifetime."
Memories for Verhaeghe, but also for fans of the Panthers.
COOL STAT
Verhaeghe doesn't need the power play to put up big numbers.
Of his career-high 42 goals, 35 of them came at even strength -- the fourth-best total in the NHL. Overall, his 60 points at even strength placed him 16th in the league and second on the Panthers.
Digging a bit deeper, he also finished sixth in the NHL with 1.46 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, a total which placed in between Connor McDavid and Brayden Point. That scoring acumen was likely due in part to his willingness to let it rip, as his 10.56 shots per 60 minutes ranked 17th in the NHL.
Over the last three seasons, he leads Florida in points (145) and goals (75) at even strength.
BEST GAME
Verhaeghe needed less than 11 minutes to dominate the scoresheet in Columbus.
Helping send the Panthers into a playoff spot, he found the back of the net four times over 10:24 of ice time during a 7-0 win against the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on April 1.
Joining elite company, he became just the third player in franchise history to score four goals in a game, joining Mark Parrish (Oct. 30, 1998) and Pavel Bure (Jan. 1, 2000 and Feb. 10, 2001).
"We're right in the mix," Verhaeghe said after the win. "We like the way we're playing. Every game's a playoff game right now. We're doing everything we can to make a push."
Netting his fourth goal near the midway point of the third period, he joined Bure as just the second player in franchise history to score 40 goals in a season. A few games later, Tkachuk would join him as the third player to hit the mark when he recorded his 40th goal on April 8.
"You don't really dream of scoring 40 goals," said Verhaeghe, whose previous career-high goal total was 23. "You just dream of making it [to the NHL]. It was a pretty special night, for sure."
In addition to his four goals, he also led the Panthers with eight shots on goal and helped the team control a ridiculous 93.82% of all expected goals when he was deployed at 5-on-5 play.
GOAL OF THE YEAR
Verhaeghe is a name that the Bruins won't soon forget.
Both in South Florida and Boston, this goal will live on for a very long time.
Capping off arguably the biggest playoff upset in NHL history, Verhaeghe received a pass from Sam Bennett and fired a wicked shot past a screened Jeremy Swayman to give the Panthers a 4-3 win in overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round on April 30 at TD Garden.
"It just feels good to get the win, for sure," said Verhaeghe, who also scored the series-clinching goal for the Panthers against the Capitals in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2022. "The way we battled back through the series, and even through this, it's been a ride in the first round."
At the time, the goal was Verhaeghe's fifth game-winner of his playoff career.
Talk about clutch.
"He's a gamer," Bennett said after the win. "He's got that incredible shot and he shows up in big games at big moments. That's what good players do. He was just awesome for us all series."
