The Finnish center will be tied to Raleigh for nine more seasons after he signed an eight-year extension Wednesday morning.
The Carolina Hurricanes signed Sebastian Aho to an eight-year, $78 million contract extension Wednesday morning, the day of his 26th birthday.
The Finnish center has been a franchise cornerstone since his first year in Carolina and he's only continued to get better since.
Following the news, Aho and Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell spoke to the media via Zoom Wednesday afternoon. Here's what they had to say:
On extending with Carolina: This is the place I want to play. Starting from the front office, the organization has taken a huge step over the course of the last five years and we feel like we’re building every year. Roddy as a head coach - he’s the guy I want to play for - all the teammates around me and the amazing fanbase made it a pretty easy decision for me. Actually, the only choice I had in my mind was to have another contract with the Canes.
On if there was any urgency to get a deal done before heading into the final year of his current deal: It was kind of a no-brainer for me that I wanted to keep on playing for the Canes and ‘The earlier, the better’ was kind of my mindset going into this offseason. We started off really well when we first talked with Don and [Carolina Hurricanes team owner Tom Dundon] and obviously it looked like it could be done this summer so it got my hopes high and I’m really happy to get this done right now.
On when the talks started: I would say pretty quickly. You take a little time off after the season to just try and figure out what went wrong and what we could do better and stuff like that, but then after that, you take a few weeks and then you start thinking about the next year and getting more excited about it.
On how involved he was was with contract negotiations: Obviously, I trust my agents. I think they’ve done a pretty good job for me over the course of the years, but I like to think that I know quite a bit of where I sit and stuff like that. I don’t want to take anything away from my agents and that part, but I think it was a somewhat easy decision for both sides to get this done.
On the moves the team made this summer: To me, this is the best team on paper that we’ve ever had. 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 because Don and Tom, those guys are building a really good team. As a player, all you can ask really from the team is to have a chance to win and we definitely have a chance to be the best team in the league and I’m really excited for the next year.
On how he’s seen himself grow as a player: It feels like it’s gone by so fast. It feels like just yesterday when I first got in Raleigh and started playing for the Canes and now we’re already here. There’s been a lot of growth on and off the ice. I feel like I’m a lot more complete person and obviously a better player than I was seven years ago. I like to think I still have another gear or two to be a better player and proving myself as a person as well. I’ve been really lucky to have amazing people around me. Just to mention a few in Jordan Staal and Justin Williams. Two guys I really learned from. It’s been really a pleasure to play with those guys and learn everyday what it takes to be a leader and what it takes to be successful as a team. I think I’ve been in good hands and now, as a person and as a hockey player, I want to take that next step and be more of a leader and be an even better player and help the team win the Cup.
On how his birthday went: It’s been a great day. Obviously a birthday and an extension. Could be a lot worse. I just had a dinner with my family and honestly, whenever my mom cooks for me, it feels like a birthday to me. It’s always a pleasure to me.
On the meal his mother made: Salmon and vegetables. Pretty simple, but it hit the nail.
