Teuvo Teravainen – Predicted OVR 87
There is a battle raging in Raleigh for Carolina’s favorite Finn. Teuvo Teravainen vs Sebastian Aho. A friendly rivalry mind you and one that got the best out of each player during the 2018-19 season. This year, Sebastian Aho emerged as the victor, but Teravainen isn’t far behind.
Both Aho and Teravainen were rated equally at the start of NHL 19 with an 85 OVR rating. Come the end of the game and Aho has risen way ahead of Teravainen, finishing the year at 88 OVR. Aho also came with a position change from left wing to centre.
Make no mistake, around the NHL Aho is seen as the Carolina Hurricanes elite player. With a contract still to be decided, both he and Mitch Marner are favorites for offer sheets during this off-season. Teravainen on the other hand, was locked into a five year deal, worth $5.4 million per year. A great piece of business from the Carolina Hurricanes. He arguably deserves more.
Teravainen finished second in points scoring, only behind Aho, but led the team in assists. Teravainen showed an eye for goal in the playoffs though, leading the team with seven goals scored. Goal scoring is what hampered his efforts to become leading points scorer this season. Something he’ll look to improve upon next year.
When looking at individual stats, Teravainen’s Aggressiveness holds him back from moving up any higher. I expect to see some kind of boost in this stat. It would also be great to see improvements in Passing (55 assists this season…), Puck Control and Balance. All of these should help him improve to a higher OVR rating.
The battle of the Finns looks set to continue well into the future. The Carolina Hurricanes have picked seven Finnish players over the course of the last three drafts. Firmly cementing some of the better European talent that’s on offer.
Canes fans! Are you excited to get your hands on NHL 20? Let us know your greatest endeavors with the Carolina Hurricanes in NHL games to date!