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.

The Lightning sent Verhaeghe to Syracuse of the American Hockey League. He blossomed into an offensive force in his second season, scoring 34 goals and 82 points.

Verhaeghe made the Lightning at training camp in 2019 and was in the opening-night lineup against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 3, 2019. He earned his first point, an assist, against the Panthers two nights later and scored his first NHL goal against the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 7. On Jan. 7, 2020, Verhaeghe scored three goals against the Vancouver Canucks for his first NHL hat trick. He finished with nine goals and 13 points in 52 games, then had two assists in eight playoff games during the Lightning's run to the Stanley Cup.

Verhaeghe set a new Florida Panthers record for points in a Stanley Cup Playoff game when he scored five in Game 5 of the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round, a 5-3 win against the Washington Capitals, including the overtime goal in Game 6 to win the series. After scoring an NHL career-high 42 goals in the 2022-23 regular season, Verhaeghe scored at 8:35 of overtime to give the Panthers a 4-3 win against the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the 2023 first round. It made him the first player in Panthers history with multiple series-clinching goals.

Verhaeghe scored his 11th playoff goal in a 4-2 win against the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the 2023 second round to pass Ray Sheppard and Dave Lowry for the most in Panthers history. His 11 goals led the Panthers in the 2024 playoffs to help them win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history and tied Matthew Tkachuk's single-postseason team record set in 2023.

Verhaeghe signed an eight-year contract with the Panthers on Oct. 8, 2024. He helped the Panthers repeat as champions by scoring three game-winning goals in the playoffs.