The Carolina Hurricanes have signed star center Sebastian Aho to an eight-year, $78-million contract extension.
Aho will earn $9.75 million annually on his new deal, which will kick in after his current contract expires at the end of next season. The two-time All-Star agreed to a five-year deal ($8.46M AAV) with Carolina in 2019 after the Hurricanes matched the offer sheet Aho signed with the Montreal Canadiens.
“Sebastian has developed into one of the best two-way centers in hockey,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said. “He’s a tremendous leader on and off the ice who sets a great example for our younger players. We’re grateful that he’s decided to stay in Carolina for the foreseeable future.”
It’s a perfect birthday present for the 26-year-old, who has been one of the Hurricanes’ foundational pieces since entering the league in 2016-17 after being drafted 35th overall in 2015.
Aho recorded 36 goals and 67 points in 75 regular-season games, adding five goals and 12 points in 15 postseason contests last year. Although it’s early in his career, Aho has never recorded fewer than 11 points during any given postseason. The Rauma, Finland native has averaged 0.90 points per game during his career, topping out at 83 points during the 2019-20 season.
He is the rare player who excels in all situations. The Hurricanes controlled 60% of the expected goals at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice during the 2022-23 season, and carried greater than 53% of the expected goals over the course of Aho’s career. He is tremendously adept at drawing penalties while playing a tenacious game that belies his undersized stature.
Aho is deployed on Carolina’s top scoring line, first power-play unit and second penalty kill group, and he’s arguably been the Hurricanes’ most valuable forward since his sophomore season.
This is a perfect deal for both parties as Aho is entering his apex years and it’s unlikely to age badly during the latter stages of the contract. It’s clever business from one of the league’s smartest franchises as it has locked up its franchise center with one year remaining, avoiding the endless speculation that would certainly surround Aho’s future.
