Entering the 2018-19 season, the Carolina Hurricanes were at one of the lowest points in the franchise's history. Missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season, the longest in the league at the time, the Canes had been destined to break out for years without any success. There was cautious optimism about the team making the playoffs, but few experts were willing to put them in the hunt. Most saw them just on the outside, again.
One of the few bright spots for the organization was Sebastian Aho. Beginning his third NHL season, he was on the cusp of cracking 30 goals the year before, finishing with 29 en route to 65 points, leading the team in both respects. As one of the most under-talked-about players in the league, Aho was destined to break out in 2018-19, but few expected him to start as strongly as he did.
Aho started with six points in the first four games, picking up a pair of multi-point efforts against Columbus and Vancouver. The best game of the stretch came in Minnesota on October 13 when Aho recorded the first of four four-point games for the season. He showcased his knack for big moments, contributing to a pair of game-tying goals in the third period. He capped the game by snapping a shot past Devan Dubnyk in overtime to seal a 5-4 victory over the Wild.
The goal-scoring for Aho dried up after the Minnesota game. He would go almost a month before scoring again. Coincidentally, his next goal came in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks in Cam Ward's return to Raleigh. While he wasn't scoring goals, he was helping his teammates find the back of the net.
The point streak would last 12 games, setting the Whalers/Hurricanes record for the longest streak to begin a season by passing Ron Francis' 1984-85 start. Over the seven games after Minnesota, Aho recorded exactly one assist per game, doing a good job of extending the streak early in games. Because he recorded an assist in all 12 games, he also set the new mark for the longest assist streak, passing Eric Staal for that distinction.
While Aho was on fire, the Hurricanes didn't off to a great start under first-year Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour. They went 6-5-1 during the 12 games and were below .500 heading into the new year. That's when the turnaround began. As the story goes, the Canes would climb their way into a Wild Card spot to clinch their first playoff berth since 2009.
Aho was a major reason for the turnaround, setting a new career-high with 83 points and cracking 30 goals for the first time. He stayed healthy for the entire season, playing all 82 games. His efforts were enough to finish in the Top 10 in Hart voting, including a few votes in the Top 3. Aho has gone on to become a mainstay in the organization on a trajectory to be one of the greatest Hurricanes of all time.