When we talk about collecting goals or scoring points in franchise history, three names are more than likely going to be at the top of the list. One of them is a Hockey Hall of Famer. The next is a Hurricanes Hall of Famer. The last is one of the most important pieces to the franchise currently and appears destined to be its next captain. On Wednesday, he hit another scoring plateau.
With his primary assist on the overtime-winning goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, Sebastian Aho recorded his 700th NHL point. These milestones after every 100 points have become a regular occurrence, with Aho hitting a new century mark every season or two. It was just last January when Aho recorded point #600 in an overtime victory over the Flyers.
In hitting 700 points, Aho joined Ron Francis and Eric Staal as the only other players to reach this mark, doing so in the second-fastest amount of time. Francis needed just 610 games to do so as a Hartford Whaler, while Staal accomplished it in 783 contests. Tonight was Aho's 745th game, and he's the only one amongst the three to already have 300 goals when doing so.
Aho not only etched his name into franchise history by reaching 700 points. He joined some elite Finnish company, too. Aho became the 8th Finnish player in NHL history to hit the mark. Only Teemu Selanne, Jari Kurri, Mikko Rantanen, and Aleksander Barkov reached 700 points quicker, and only Selanne and Kurri had more goals than Aho at the time of their 700th point.
If we eliminate Francis from the equation and talk about numbers strictly after the franchise's relocation to Raleigh, Aho is chasing down Staal in many categories. Aho is already the leader in even-strength, shorthanded, overtime, and game-winning goals. Next season is likely when Aho will surpass Staal in goals, assists, and points, cementing his status as the greatest Hurricane of all time.
It seems unlikely that Aho will ever reach Francis' point total with the organization, but he'll likely surpass him in goals over the next few seasons. Once he passes Staal, Aho will be 400 points away from Francis, while Francis only recorded 383 goals. Regardless, Aho is already one of the best players in franchise history, and he'll only improve his standing the longer he plays for the team.