‘Just a special day:’ Panthers’ Verhaeghe celebrates birth of first child
Carter Verhaeghe has joined an ever-growing subsection of the Florida Panthers’ roster.
Verhaeghe and wife Casey on Tuesday welcomed into the world their first child, a baby boy named Rory.
Rory weighed in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces, Verhaeghe said.
“Just a special day,” Verhaeghe said Thursday ahead of his return to the Panthers’ lineup after missing Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to Toronto to be present for the birth of his son.
Verhaeghe’s teammates made him feel right at home when he returned to the rink Thursday for morning skate before the team’s game against the Nashville Predators. So many of them know the emotions he’s feeling right now because they, too, have gone through it themselves.
Verhaeghe is the 16th player on Florida’s current roster to become a father, joining a group that includes forwards Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, A.J. Greer, Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek, Luke Kunin and Noah Gregor; defensemen Gustav Forsling, Dmitry Kulikov and Jeff Petry; and goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov.
“Our peewee team in 10 years is going to be awesome,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said with a smile Thursday. “I’ll buy tickets to that.”
Added Verhaeghe: “Talking to all the guys that have kids, they’re just so, so excited. Even going through that, I’m just excited for we have a couple of future dads to come in. To be able to experience that is just so special. I’m just so thankful. It’s been a crazy couple days, but I’m just happy that everyone’s healthy and get to bring them home soon.”
Will the birth of his son lead to some “dad strength” from Verhaeghe, who has four goals and 16 points through 24 games this season, moving forward?
“You’ve got to ask Bob [goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky],” Verhaeghe said after morning skate. “He said my shot was a little harder today.”
Lineup changes
With Verhaeghe returning to the lineup, forward Jack Devine will be a healthy scratch on Thursday. Jack Studnicka will once again center the Panthers’ fourth line, with Noah Gregor and Luke Kunin set to be on the wings.
Also, defenseman Donovan Sebrango will draw in for Jeff Petry. Sebrango will play on Florida’s third pair with Uvis Balinskis.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 1:36 PM.
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