Sebastian Aho will be staying with the Carolina Hurricanes for quite some time after signing an eight-year contract extension worth $76 million.
“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.”
Aho has spent his entire career with the Canes so far. In 520 games played, the center has racked up 218 goals and 250 assists and has helped lead Carolina to five straight playoff appearances in the last five seasons.
In the 2022-23 season, the center tallied 36 goals and 31 assists. This maintained his streak of seven straight seasons with at least 24 goals that began when he made his Hurricanes debut in 2016-17 after being drafted in the second round of the 2015 Draft.
After coming second in the Eastern Conference, Carolina will be hoping to once again contend for the top spot in the conference. With the Bruins suffering some key losses, the top spot is up for grabs.
The Hurricanes bolstered their roster by re-signing goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, along with captain Jordan Staal and winger Jesper Fast. Carolina also acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Michael Bunting via free agency.
The contract extension served as quite the birthday present for the center as the deal was announced on Aho’s 26th birthday. By the end of the extension, he will be 34 years old.
