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Just when the NHL offseason was starting to feel a bit too quiet, the Carolina Hurricanes made one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Of course, that big move was signing star forward Sebastian Aho to a massive extension, and on his 26th birthday no less.
The Hurricanes gave Aho quite the birthday present in the form of an eight-year extension worth $9.75 million annually ($78 million total). When the extension begins in 2024, Aho will be one of the highest-paid players in the entire league. Aho has established himself as the face of the franchise, at least up front, and now Carolina has him locked up for the long haul.
Now that a couple days have passed, how well did the Hurricanes do with this deal? Let's take a deeper look and answer that question for ourselves.
Sebastian Aho History
Hailing from Rauma, Finland, Aho was a second-round pick by the Hurricanes in 2015 and made his NHL debut the following season. He immediately made a name for himself in his rookie season by scoring 24 goals and 49 points. With Carolina still being mired in mediocrity at the time, though, Aho didn't get the recognition he deserved yet.
Of course, that changed soon after. The Hurricanes made their return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2019 after a decade of absence, in large part thanks to Aho's 30 goals and 83 points on the season, which still stands as a career-high. Carolina then knocked out the defending-champion Washington Capitals and went to the Eastern Conference Final that year, with Aho scoring five goals and 12 points in 15 games.
Since then, the Hurricanes have asserted themselves as one of the NHL's elite teams, finishing as a top-three regular-season team in each of the past three years. Aho has been a major piece of their success, being the top source of offense for a defense-first team. It's not like he's bad on the defensive end, either, it's just not the focus of his game.
The Hurricanes are still looking for more playoff success in this window, but with this move, it's clear they believe the best chance to do so is with Aho. Based on his performance throughout his career, it's hard to argue with that assessment.
Sebastian Aho Extends With Carolina
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For a player of Aho's caliber, this is a great deal for Carolina. The cap hit of $9.75 million isn't that much higher than what it is currently (around $8.5 million). To get a high-end No. 1 center, let alone one who can be the face of the franchise, for less than $10 million is never a bad thing.
Additionally, this deal being the maximum length of eight years is also a huge win. The extension begins next year when Aho is just 27 and will essentially cover his entire prime. For relatively small-market like Carolina, locking up a franchise player for their best years is undoubtedly a win. Maybe it could be a bit expensive at the end of the deal, but not only is that almost a decade away, but the cap will have gone up substantially by then so it won't be too crippling even if Aho declines.
I've previously been extremely critical of the Hurricanes' offseason moves, but on second thought, I think I may have been too harsh. What I failed to consider is that, even after this deal, Carolina still has over $30 million in projected cap space in 2024-25 and even more beyond that. The Hurricanes still have several key players to re-sign over the next couple of years, but considering they just completed their biggest contract of the bunch, that task looks much less daunting.
Grade and Final Thoughts
There's very little to complain about with the deal from both Carolina and Aho's perspectives. The Hurricanes lock up their star player for the long haul, while Aho gets a modest raise to stay with the team that drafted him for his prime. Good work all around.
Sebastian Aho Grade: A
Carolina Hurricanes Grade: A+
