The Montreal Canadiens have tendered an offer sheet to the Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho. The offered contract is five years at $8.454 million per year. If they don’t match, Carolina receives Montreal’s 2020 first, second, and third-round picks. Here’s a full breakdown of the offer sheet: Year 1- $11.3 million signing bonus and a $700,000 salary. Year 2- $9.87 million signing bonus and a $700,000 salary. Year 3- $6.95 million signing bonus and a $750,000 salary.Years 4 and 5- $5.25 million signing bonus and a $750,000 salary. This deal will pay Aho over $21 million within the first 12 months. Carolina has one week to match the offer.
Aho, who plays center, had 30 goals and 53 assists in 82 games last season and added another five goals and seven assists in 15 playoff games. Drafted in the second round (35th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Hurricanes, Aho has played all three seasons of his career with the ‘Canes. He is coming off his entry-level deal which paid him $5.325 million over three seasons (a $1.775 million AAV at a $925,000 cap hit), so this is an enormous raise..
UPDATE (1:23 pm, July 2nd, 2019. The Hurricanes have matched the Canadiens’ offer sheet to Sebastian Aho. They will be unable to trade for 12 months, after which time they will have already paid him $21.87 million of the $42.27 million deal.
Lydia’s Reaction: What a stupid move by the Canadiens. What was Bergevin thinking? They low-balled him on an offer sheet! He was looking for $9-$9.5 million per year and Carolina likely would’ve given it to him at least close to it eventually, yet they offer him $8.454? If you’re going to tender an offer sheet and actually want it to work, you have to overpay the player so much that the other team either can’t or isn’t willing to match it. The only thing I can reason I can think of that he may have done this is they didn’t think Carolina would be able to afford the $21.87 million they owed him in the first 12 months. But even that doesn’t explain it, because why wouldn’t they be able to? They made a lot of money at the end of the season and in the playoffs and will continue to increase their revenue if the team stays good, so of course, Dundon is going to suck it up and pay his young star. He’s worth it. All Bergevin succeeded in doing here was irritating Dundon and practically guaranteeing an offer sheet from the ‘Canes to one of the Canadiens young stars when they have a chance to do so. Just a stupid, stupid move by Bergevin.
Moving on from how stupid Montreal was here, this contract is a steal for Carolina. Aho produced at over a point per game pace last season and is a huge part of what Carolina is trying to build. The fact that they got him at a little less than $8.5 million a year is incredible, especially since he’s only 21 and will almost certainly get even better. The only bad part of this deal for Carolina is the term because he’ll be a UFA at the end of the deal. They wanted eight years because it would keep him at a good value for a long time, and they wouldn’t have to worry about resigning him for awhile. Instead, they get a deal that walks him right to his first year as a UFA. But, if Carolina continues to be a good team and make the playoffs, I can’t see any reason Aho wouldn’t want to resign there provided they offer him at least close to what he’s worth, so even that isn’t too big a deal. I love this contract for Carolina and there’s no way they regret matching the offer sheet. Montreal, on the other hand, already regrets trying I bet. I just don’t know how they could have thought it would work. Now they get to sit and wait until they have a really good RFA and Carolina steals him from them because they’re in a much better cap position. Looking at you, Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Stephen’s Reaction: Montreal just screwed up big time. If they want a player like Aho, $8.454 million isn’t going to cut it. If they wanted any chance at having him, the Canadiens should have offered him 10+ million and maybe it would’ve worked. Carolina was only willing to pay around $7 million so $1.5 million more isn’t a stretch. Montreal essentially gifted Carolina Aho. The only thing they did to screw them is the term Carolina wanted to do eight years so they have a little longer before they have to pay him more because he’s even better. Now, they’ll have to pay him in his first year as a UFA. Five years down the road, Aho will probably get ten million a year if not more. Montreal should have given that to him now if they really wanted him. Now, they should be careful with Kotkaniemi.
Hockey Addict 