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Carolina Hurricanes’ Conspiracy Theories following Sebastian Aho offer sheet

By Todd McGee

Former Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Peter Karmanos, left, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, center, and Thomas Dundon, new Hurricanes majority owner, laugh together at the end of the news conference where Dundon was announced as the new majority owner of the team at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. (Chris Seward/Raleigh News
Former Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Peter Karmanos, left, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, center, and Thomas Dundon, new Hurricanes majority owner, laugh together at the end of the news conference where Dundon was announced as the new majority owner of the team at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. (Chris Seward/Raleigh News /
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Former Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Peter Karmanos, left, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, center, and Thomas Dundon, new Hurricanes majority owner, laugh together at the end of the news conference where Dundon was announced as the new majority owner of the team at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. (Chris Seward/Raleigh News
Former Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Peter Karmanos, left, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, center, and Thomas Dundon, new Hurricanes majority owner, laugh together at the end of the news conference where Dundon was announced as the new majority owner of the team at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. (Chris Seward/Raleigh News /

The Montreal Canadiens attempted to offer sheet Sebastian Aho from the Carolina Hurricanes on a five year deal. But it was easily matched. What is really going on?

Let me begin by stating that I don’t believe in conspiracy theories. Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Bigfoot doesn’t exist. Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. The NFL does not favor the New England Patriots. Nothing crashed in Roswell, N.M. The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t force the Storm Surge on the players.

I believe in fact over fiction. Grainy photos and whispered stories don’t mean anything. Neither do cryptic tweets from supposed “in-the-know” insiders. I need to see evidence.

Which brings us to the latest conspiracy theory floating around the Carolina Hurricanes: Tom Dundon is looking to turn the team over for a quick profit. How else do you explain the Sebastian Aho situation?

Nothing to see here

As with any story, there are at least two sides. Let’s look at the reasons this is likely hogwash (no offense Hamilton the pig).

Dundon is a successful businessman who supposedly is worth more than a billion dollars. He likes to buy things. He owns a golf course, a 55 percent stake in Top Golf, a 33-story building in downtown Dallas and, oh yes, the Carolina Hurricanes.

He threw away $70 million on the Alliance of American Football this year through a hastily arranged deal. He has since claimed he was misled to the extent of the AAF’s financial issues and has filed a lawsuit seeking his money back.

It would be easy to characterize him as rash, impetuous or foolish after that debacle, but that appears to be an outlier.

Despite the fact he is involved in a lot of different ventures (his firm, Dundon Capital Partners, owns stakes in Carvana and Employer Director, a healthcare services company), he doesn’t appear to be the kind of person who flips his investments for a quick profit. He still owns his share of Top Golf and the building in downtown Dallas as well as the golf club.

His track record would indicate he intends to own the team for a long time.

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