It took six years and a couple of trades to get Verhaeghe, a center from Toronto, from being selected by the hometown Maple Leafs in the third round (No. 82) of the 2013 NHL Draft to his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 3, 2019.
Verhaeghe never got to play with the Maple Leafs. He was still with Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League when Toronto traded him to the New York Islanders on Sept. 17, 2015. He turned pro after a 33-goal, 82-point season with Niagara and played two seasons in the Islanders’ farm system before being traded again, this time to the Lightning on July 1, 2017. He’s now playing for the Florida Panthers.
