Ever since Carter Verhaeghe arrived in the Florida Panthers locker room, he has become a critical piece to the Panthers’ offensive prowess. From scoring the Game 7 OT winner against the Bruins in 2023 to helping Florida record its first postseason series win since 1996 in 2022, the 29-year-old Canadian has proved time and again he’s a clutch player.
To show gratitude, the Florida Panthers’ GM, Bill Zito, chalked up a lucrative 8-year, $56 million contract for Verhaeghe in 2024. And as the 2025 playoffs keep rolling, it seems like the winger is as resolute to reciprocate the faith the squad has shown in his abilities. So much so that Carter now sits high on a special list where he is preceded by only another NHL celebrity.
The official Sportsnet social media account took to X on May 22 to share details of Verhaeghe’s titular goalscoring prowess. “Chris Pronger was raving about him when he was in a couple nights ago,” hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey could be heard saying in the video that was uploaded on the platform on Thursday. Captioned, “Only Leon Draisaitl has more goals than Carter Verhaeghe over the last three playoffs,” the post salutes the Panthers star for his incredible feat in recent years.
“If you look at Verhaeghe, you’ll notice how successful he is in the last three playoffs. That’s right, only Draisaitl has more goals than Verhaeghe. That’s pretty telling. Look at all those stars on the page,” Hrudey could hardly keep calm when he highlights how Carter has edged past stars like Mikko Rantanen and Sam Reinhart with 23 goals to his name in the last three playoffs.
On the other hand, the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl leads the pack with 29 goals, while Carter’s Florida Panthers teammate, Reinhart, sits in fourth place, tied with Edmonton’s Zach Hyman, who’s been hitting anything that moves this postseason. To highlight Verhaeghe’s exceptional talents, Hrudey showcased the former’s goal from Game 1 against the Hurricanes from two nights ago. Having taken an offensive position with the Canes’ net to his left, the Panthers’ No. 23 sensed Seth Jarvis breathing down his neck when he received the pass from captain Aleksander Barkov. And so, instead of taking the time to turn around, Verhaeghe went with a backhand chip that lodged the puck in the back of the net, proving why the Panthers have been virtually unstoppable this postseason.
Only Leon Draisaitl has more goals than Carter Verhaeghe over the last three playoffs @KellyHrudey breaks down the Panthers’ forward play in the postseason pic.twitter.com/rdgU7P5xkE
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 22, 2025
From Matthew Tkachuk, already posting a beefy 12 points (4 goals and 8 assists) in 14 playoff matches, to Brad Marchand leading all Panthers skaters in Round 2 with eight points, Florida’s usual suspects have been doing what they are known for. But Verhaeghe’s numbers prove why Florida has been the postseason team to beat over the last few years. The Cats hunt in packs.
With such stats and the pundits noting their high hopes on his skills, Carter Verhaeghe was also projected to continue showing his worth in Game 2 as well. After all, the winger has one of the longest active runs in the NHL, with at least five goals scored in all of the last four postseasons. While that didn’t exactly happen tonight at the PNC Center, the Canadian also didn’t leave the game without any impact.
The Florida Panthers sensation continues his triumphant run
Gustav Forsling scored just 77 seconds into the first period, giving the Panthers an early lead. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett extended the lead in the same period, and the visitors ultimately walked away from the game with a sonorous 5-0 victory. Three of those five goals came from Carter Verhaeghe’s assists. However, the Panthers’ star couldn’t manage to get past Frederik Andersen tonight.
Credit: Instagram /@flapanthers
But it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns on the night that Florida extended its lead over the Canes to 2-0 in the Conference Finals. The Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho collided with the Panthers’ Sam Reinhart with five minutes remaining in the first period, sending the latter to the locker room for the remainder of today’s game. Fans were livid and called for the NHL to take action to reprimand Aho. The Florida Panthers’ goalie also held the fort in the best possible way.
Despite acting as Carolina’s walking punching bag in Game 1, Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves today, registering his third shutout of this year’s playoffs—the most by any Panthers goalie in a single playoff year. Now, as the series heads back to the Amerant Arena for Games 3 and 4, how do you think Carter will pull his socks up in a bid to overtake the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl? Tell us your thoughts below!
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