"No state tax, must be nice.": Fans react as Carter Verhaeghe signs $56,000,000 Florida Panthers extension

NHL fans reacted to Carter Verhaeghe's new long-term extension with the Florida Panthers. On Tuesday, the team announced Verhaeghe had signed an eight-year deal worth $56 million with a $7 million AAV.

The announcement followed the Panthers raising their Stanley Cup banner in a dominating season opener, where they secured a 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins.

Verhaeghe, who played a vital role in helping the Cats win their first championship, is currently in the final year of a three-year contract that has a salary cap hit of $4,166,667.

The new contract extension will take effect in the 2025–26 season.

Here's what fans on X/Twitter said after Verhaeghe inked an extension with the Cats:

"No state tax. Must be nice."

Another chimed in:

"Not bad for a guy that was a throw-in, when the Godfather traded him to NYI, just so the Leafs could have more Standard Player Contracts spots. 2x cup winner as well."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"He will be 30 when this 8 year deal starts. We don’t have to pretend that every deal this team signs is a steal because of the tax advantage. This deal isn’t that great," one opined.

"Teams in states that have no income tax have a huge advantage when it comes to signing free agents and retaining players," another tweeted.

"Hey he’s only a 70 pt center. Playoff riser! Paying TK $1.75 mil/per year more for our scrappy 70 pt winger is great! what a negotiator Danny is. how’d he get it done?!" commented one user.

Verhaeghe joined the Florida Panthers in the 2020-21 season. Before that, the 29-year-old center had a brief stint of 52 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and won a Cup with them in 2020.

Carter Verhaeghe has accumulated 249 points through 127 goals and 122 assists in 330 career games and has won the coveted Stanley Cup twice.

Carter Verhaeghe and Panthers thumped Bruins in their season opener

Carter Verhaeghe and the Florida Panthers began their Stanley Cup defense with an impressive 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins at home.

The Cats got off to a dominating start, scoring four goals in the first period. Sam Bennett netted two goals, while Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues contributed two points each. In goal, Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves, posting a .857 SV%.

For the Bruins, Charlie McAvoy also accumulated two points, while Joonas Korpisalo faced 35 shots, conceding six goals and finishing with a .829 SV%. Panthers return to the ice on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators.