He won a Stanley Cup last year with Tampa. Now with the Panthers, he eyes more playing time

Carter Verhaeghe took a cross-ice pass from Mason Marchment on a power play early in the first period of the Florida Panthers’ training camp scrimmage on Thursday.

The forward crashed toward the net, weaving around the three defenders coming his way, and flicked a back-handed shot past goaltender Chris Dreidger and into the net.

In the third period, when the Florida Panthers were working exclusively on special teams, Jonathan Huberdeau found Verhaeghe in the right circle on another power play run. Verhaeghe one-timed the shot past Dreidger’s extended reach.

Two goals. A lot of time on the ice.

And perhaps some validation into why the Panthers signed Verhaeghe to a two-year deal this offseason.

“I think he stood out not just today, but every single day we’ve been here,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said after Thursday’s scrimmage. “He’s doing a lot of good things. Whether it’s scoring goals, making plays or doing the right things in the puck area, he’s very noticeable. I like his compete from the start of the shift until the end.”

A lot of goals and players making their case. Highlights from the Panthers’ scrimmage

Verhaeghe’s potential on the ice is immense. He led the American Hockey League with 82 points and tied for the league lead with 34 goals in the 2018-2019 season before the Tampa Bay Lightning gave him a chance at the NHL level during their run to the Stanley Cup.

Verhaeghe was relegated to limited duties on a stacked Lightning roster, however, and averaged a team-low nine minutes 22 seconds of ice time per game among players who saw action in at least 25 games. Despite that, he still managed to score nine goals and tally another four assists in 52 regular-season games. He dished out a pair of assists during the Lightning’s playoff run and was on the ice for three of Tampa Bay’s six games in the Stanley Cup Finals.

“It’s a dream come true,” Verhaeghe said. “Winning the Stanley Cup and hoisting it above my head ... It was unbelievable.”

Now, Verhaeghe is playing three-and-a-half hours south in Sunrise, where he goes from the defending champions to a hopeful uptick in playing time. Verhaeghe has primarily been playing left wing on a forward line with rookies Eetu Luostarinen and Owen Tippett, which could very well be the Panthers’ third forward line grouping when the season starts.

There is still fluidity in how the Panthers’ second and third lines are going to shake out, however, considering they haven’t been able to incorporate Patric Hornqvist into practice yet during training camp. Hornqvist has been one of a group of players deemed “unfit to play” — the catch-all term the NHL is using now during the age of COVID-19 — since camp began.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair will almost assuredly be the Panthers’ top line while Noel Acciari has been centering Vinnie Hinostroza and Ryan Lomberg in what looks to be Florida’s fourth line.

Frank Vatrano, Alex Wennberg and Brett Connolly figure to be the Panthers’ second line if Hornqvist remains out for an extended period of time.

“I’m just looking to make a good impression every day,” Verhaeghe said. “... Show them what I can do on the ice. Leave it all out there and leave it in their hands.”

He has certainly impressed Quenneville so far, with the head coach bringing up Verhaeghe’s name multiple times during the first four days of training camp.

“I think getting that opportunity to be around those top guys [in Tampa] he developed a lot of good habits,” Quenneville said. “He’s got a lot more skill than you might think, and I think that’s where the opportunity is probably gonna grow. I really liked him a lot as far as what he brings to our team. He brings tenacity and a real competitiveness in the puck areas. I think he’s upgraded the pace of our practices so far and added a little bit of winning pedigree as well.”

Stars COVID-19 tests force schedule change

The NHL announced Friday that the start of the Dallas Stars’ schedule will be revised after six players and two staff members on the team recently tested positive for COVID-19. The Panthers were set to host the Stars on Thursday and Friday at the BB&T Center to begin the season.

“As a result of the positive tests, and as an appropriate precaution, the team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed for several days while further daily testing and contact tracing is conducted,” the NHL said Friday in a statement. “The League is in the process of reviewing and revising the Stars’ regular season schedule with the expectation that the team will not open its 2020-21 season earlier than Tuesday, January 19.”

The news comes five days before the NHL begins its 56-game regular-season, one that has teams playing solely against teams in their own division during the regular season. The Panthers are in the eight-team “Central” division, which also includes the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators. Florida is scheduled to face each team eight times.