Carolina Hurricanes: Storylines to Watch Heading Into Training Camp

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RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: Calvin de Haan #44 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates with teammates Sebastian Aho #20 and Nino Niederreiter #21 after scoring a goal in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Sebastian Aho’s New Contract

The Sebastian Aho contract debacle was one of the more talked about stories of the NHL offseason. His offer sheet from Montreal, and his subsequent return to Raleigh, was well documented and has been handled well before the start of training camp, let alone the start of the season.

Sebastian Aho is now the highest paid player on the team, and he is clearly slated as the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. The question is, how does this affect the 22-year-old budding superstar? Last season he got the attention of the league, and the offseason saw many average hockey fans really quantify how valuable of a player he is.

How does Aho follow up the events of the past year? He was an 80+ point player last season. He led the team in points during their surprising playoff run to the Eastern Conference Final. He is still young and has already proven his worth as a number one center on a playoff caliber team.

How Aho answers last season will all start in training camp. It is easily forgotten but, before this year, Aho was known for his slow starts to the season. He had the opposite effect last year, and his numbers reflected this. So, which Aho will we see start the year next year, and will that be evident by his performance once training camp begins?

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