Carolina Hurricanes: Ink Teuvo Teravainen to five more years

The Carolina Hurricanes have secured a little more of their future by signing first line winger Teuvo Teravainen to another five years in Raleigh.

Fresh off a touchdown of a win over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, the Carolina Hurricanes continued to delight their fans the next morning. They have announced that first line winger and All Star player Sebastian Aho‘s actual wingman Teuvo Teravainen has agreed to a five year, $27million extension with the Carolina Hurricanes:

For those of us who can’t do math in our heads any higher than simple multiplication and do not have a calculator nearby, this adds up to an AAV of $5.4m. This sets the precedent for a few things. At the level Teuvo Teravainen is producing at, it would take more money to take him away from Carolina if he was allowed to reach RFA status at the end of this season. Turbo’s extension allows GM Don Waddell to breath a little easier knowing one of his top pieces is off the board.

The most critical thing to realize though is that this contract basically doubles Teuvo Teravainen’s pay and cap hit, which shows that Tom Dundon has stuck to his word about not being afraid to pay good players. But the question on everyone’s mind for Waddell and Dundon is: does this mean they will pay Sebastian Aho and Micheal Ferland?

For our All Star player, the answer is absolutely yes. Aho is probably asking for more than what was offered for Teravainen, however he most definitely deserves it and will receive it. The problem with Ferland is that he is also rumored to be asking more than the $5.4m that Teravainen received. The question is whether Waddell believes that he is worth more than Teravainen. Many will point out that Waddell doesn’t believe so. Even the fans would be hesitant to say that he is worth more than Teravainen. But what if the comparisons to other players were not to internal contracts signed this year?

Teravainen’s new contract is very similar to another Hurricane, one that has very recently joined the team. Nino Niederreiter has a contract that is very similar to what Teravainen received, and may be the very reason Teravainen got what he did. Niederreiter’s current contract is also a five year deal, and his AAV is $5.25m, only $150,000 shy of Teravainen’s deal. Perhaps Waddell looked to compare the two wingers, or perhaps Niederreiter convinced Teravainen to ask for that. Maybe a little of both happened.

The point is, if Waddell is looking at comparable players instead of how he values each player to another, a deal with Ferland is still on the table. There is a lot more that Ferland brings to the table outside of offensive prowess. His mere presence on the ice instills discipline in the other team, and his absence is definitely noticed. That’s a problem for Waddell and Dundon to sort out. For now, let us enjoy the fact that at least two of our top six forwards are signed through the 2020-2021 season.

Question for CC Readers: 

How do you think the signing of Teuvo Teravainen signing bodes for the future of the Carolina Hurricanes? And what do you think of the AAV?