Carter Verhaeghe

If you're looking for moves that led to Florida winning a championship, giving Verhaeghe a chance after Tampa Bay decided against tendering him a qualifying offer in 2020 has to be high on that list. At the time, the Panthers' decision to sign Verhaeghe to a two-year, $2 million contract certainly didn't seem noteworthy. The former third-round pick was already 25 and coming off a 13-point campaign with the Lightning. However, Florida allowed him to play in a top-six role and Verhaeghe took advantage of the opportunity. After two solid campaigns with the Panthers, he made great strides in 2022-23 with 42 goals and 73 points and followed that up with another 34 markers and 72 points over 76 outings last season. Florida has one more season with Verhaeghe at a $4,166,667 cap hit before he could potentially cash in as a free agent. In the meantime, the Panthers will enjoy another season of Verhaeghe providing 30-40 goals and 70-80 points at a discount price.

Verhaeghe exploded with 42 goals and 73 points in 81 games last season, blowing his previous career highs of 24 and 55, respectively, out of the water. He averaged 17:30 of ice time per game and put 275 shots on net. The resulting 15.3 shooting percentage matched his career mark and he's never posted a shooting percentage below 14.4 percent. The 28-year-old has locked himself into a top-six role in Florida's dangerous offense. Verhaeghe chipped in 13 power-play points during the 2022-23 campaign and should have similar contributions this year. He'll spend the 2023-24 season on a line with either Matthew Tkachuk or Aleksander Barkov, keeping his offensive ceiling high as he looks for a repeat 40-goal performance.

Verhaeghe shocked many in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign by posting 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games. He continued his hot streak a year ago, finishing with career-best marks in goals (24), assist (31), points (55) and shots on goal (167) in 78 games. As good as Verhaeghe has been, he's not the type of player you want to bet on moving forward from a fantasy perspective. His average ice time dropped by a 1:41 a season ago, all the way down to 16:03 per game, while he managed just three power-play points all year. The Panthers remain loaded up front, but Verhaeghe's margin for error is minuscule given his lack of production with the man advantage. Let someone else take the plunge on draft day.

Verhaeghe broke out to the tune of 18 goals and 36 points in just 43 games last campaign after being entrusted with a top-six role with the Panthers in his age-25 season. The 6-foot-2 pivot should continue to see top-six minutes while also logging time with Florida's second power-play unit in 2021-22, giving him 25-plus goal and 55-plus point upside. Verhaege will make for a high-end complementary forward in the middle rounds of this year's fantasy drafts.

Verhaeghe's first taste of NHL action in 2019-20 saw him record 13 points in 52 games during the regular season with the Lightning. He added another two helpers in eight games during Tampa Bay's run to the Stanley Cup. Verhaeghe then latched on with the Panthers on a two-year contract to shore up their bottom-six. The 25-year-old shouldn't be expected to take a big leap forward in 2020-21 -- roughly 15 to 20 points would be a safe estimate if he can maintain an everyday job. The Panthers aren't as deep as the Lightning, so there should be more playing time available for Verhaeghe if he can find a steady scoring touch, but it's likely not going to be enough for fantasy relevance.