The dangerous comparison – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Evgeny Kuznetsov was the recipient of an 8-year, $7.8m AAV extension from the Washington Capitals in the summer of 2017, complete with a modified NTC in years 3-8. Prior to signing that deal, Kuznetsov had no Stanley Cup ring, and had just 53-129-182 on his CV in 261 GP. Sebastian Aho has 75-96-171 in 210 GP, and if you extrapolate his current scoring to a full 82 games, his record by the end of the season will be 89-118-207 in 242 GP. This is why Kuznetsov is the dangerous comparison.
To make matters worse, Kuznetsov’s deal took up more of the Capitals’ cap space due to the NHL salary cap being lower at the time – if you’re Aho’s agent, do you look at Kuznetsov’s extension and ask for more? Common sense would dictate he do just that.
With all this in mind, the Carolina Hurricanes will surely be looking to keep Aho’s deal down closer to William Nylander’s deal – but you can bet that Aho’s agent will look to drive the deal north of Kuznetsov’s.
Likelihood of exceeding Nylander’s deal: 30%