Aho wants Stanley Cup after signing 8-year contract with Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

The Carolina Hurricanes forward had quiet dinner with his family at home in Finland on Wednesday to celebrate turning 26 and signing an eight-year, $78 million contract that begins with the 2024-25 season.

"It's been a great day," Aho said. "Obviously, birthday and an extension. It could be a lot worse."

Aho could've become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but neither he nor the Hurricanes was interested in having that hanging over their heads this season. So, over the past few weeks, they'd gradually been working their way toward an agreement on the new contract, which carries an average annual value of $9.75 million and runs through 2031-32.

After seven seasons with Carolina, including qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past five, Aho called it "a no-brainer" to commit to eight more. Aho can see the pieces coming together during an offseason in which the Hurricanes added defensemen Dmitry Orlov (two years, $15.5 million) and Tony DeAngelo (one year, $1.675 million) and forwards Michael Bunting (three years, $13.5 million) and Brendan Lemieux (one year, $800,000) as unrestricted free agents to a group that reached the Eastern Conference Final last season before being swept by the Florida Panthers.

"To me, this is the best team on paper that we ever had," Aho said. "I think we have a really capable team in many ways, and obviously that's one of the reasons why it was an easy decision for me since (general manager) Don (Waddell) and (owner) Tom (Dundon) and those guys, they're building a really good team. As a player, all you can ask, really, from the team (is) you have a chance to win, and we definitely have a chance to be the best team in the League."

So, there was never a question about Aho and the Hurricanes continuing the relationship that began when they selected him in the second round (No. 35) of the 2015 NHL Draft. And there was none of the drama that led up to him signing his previous contract in 2019, when Carolina matched the five-year, $42.27 million restricted free agent offer sheet he signed with the Montreal Canadiens.

Since then, Aho has become even more important to the Hurricanes. He led them in goals last season for the sixth straight season with 36 and was second in points with 67 behind Martin Necas (71).

So, though Waddell has had a busy summer with the players he added, plus re-signing captain Jordan Staal (four years, $11.6 million), forward Jesper Fast (two years, $4.8 million) and goalies Frederik Andersen (two years, $6.8 million) and Antti Raanta (one year, $1.5 million), getting Aho locked up for the long term was the Hurricanes' biggest offseason move.

"If you look at the pieces we put in place, Sebastian is absolutely the No. 1 piece," Waddell said. " … We've got some great players, but Sebastian has been there each and every night in the regular season and the playoffs. When you build your team, we all know Sebastian is a great player, but he's a great person, and those are the kind of people you want to surround yourself with because when times get tough these are the kind of players that dig down and make it happen for you. So, this was an easy decision for us to sign Sebastian for eight years."

Waddell didn't rule out making more moves before the start of the season and acknowledged last week having interest in signing unrestricted free agent forward Video: Sebastian Aho signs an 8-year extension. But Waddell also reiterated Wednesday, "We're pretty close to the cap ($83.5 million)."

So, the Hurricanes will likely have to move some salary to add anyone else.

Waddell said again that Carolina is, "not close on anything right now," with any of their other players eligible to become unrestricted free agents next summer. That group includes defensemen Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, and forward Teuvo Teravainen.

Waddell told NHL.com last week that if they are not signed before the start of the season, he'd be open to trading one of them, "if there's a deal that makes us better at a different position." The Hurricanes would prefer not having to worry about each of those three leaving next summer while playing out this season.

But it would be easier to take with the security of having Aho under contract for nine more seasons.

With 23-year-old forwards Andrei Svechnikov (six more seasons) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (seven more) also signed long-term, Carolina is set up to be Cup contenders for several seasons to come.

"When you lock these guys up for a long term, you put yourself in a great position that you can work around the edges to fill out the holes you need, but you know you got your key pieces in place," Waddell said. "We're a franchise that doesn't want to win one Cup. We want to try to win 10 Cups, and you've got to put yourself in position to compete for the Cup every year and we think we can do that for numerous years coming up."

Having learned about what it takes to win playing for coach Rod Brind'Amour and from watching Staal and retired former captain Justin Williams, Aho envisions himself being one of the players driving the Hurricanes toward their first championship since 2006. Signing for eight more seasons meant embracing that challenge as well.

"It's been really a pleasure to play with those guys and learn on an everyday basis what it takes to be a leader and what it takes to be successful as a team," Aho said. "I think I've been in good hands, and now obviously as a person, as a hockey player I want to take another step and be more of a leader and be an even better player and help the team win the Cup."