Being the top scorer on a team comes with a lot of pressure. More often than not, Sebastian Aho rises to the challenge and plays the Hurricanes' way. When he's rolling, there are few in the league who can play like he does. The team relies on him to be the sparkplug for the offense. For the last nine years, that's exactly what he has been.
Entering his 10th season in the league and with the Canes, Aho has done a lot of incredible things. This year, he's expected to cross another item off his list as he represents Finland in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. However, I'd bet he's more focused on trying to get the Canes over the hump after another run that stalled in the Eastern Conference Finals against Florida.
Last season: 29-45-74 in 79 games/7-8-15 in the playoffs
To some, Aho had a disappointing season, especially after setting his career high with 89 points in 2023-24. A 15-point drop felt like a lot for the Canes' top forward. It was the first time he hadn't reached 30 goals since 2021, and the first time in a full season since 2017-18. Aho posted his worst shooting percentage (14%) since 2018-19, and he spent more time in the box than he ever has.
However, there was still plenty to appreciate about Aho's season. He started by tearing through the team's State Fair trip in October by scoring seven points, including two overtime winners. Aho scored five times in Golden Goal situations throughout the season, tying him for the 2nd-most in NHL history.
Aho recorded points in 51 of his 79 appearances last season, including 17 multi-point efforts. He posted the 10th four-point game of his career with a goal and three assists before Thanksgiving against the Stars. Aho was also dynamite on the penalty kill, tying Seth Jarvis with seven short-handed points.
In the postseason, we got some vintage Aho moments. He was special against the Devils, leading the team with eight points. His three-point effort in Game 5 sealed the series, including the 2OT winner to shut the door for good. He was quiet against Washington but rebounded with four goals and five points in the conference finals, doing everything he could to keep the team's hopes alive.
Bold Prediction: Aho becomes the Hurricanes all-time leader in goals
Sebastian Aho is well on his way to being the most prolific forward in Carolina Hurricanes history. He already owns most of the team's postseason records on account of their seven straight postseason appearances, but he's starting to chip away at the regular season records, too. Aho has already commandeered the short-handed records and has the most GWGs and OTGs.
Some of the records will take a year or more to get to, but the next one in his sights is the Canes' record for goals. I've touched on this briefly already, but Aho is 39 goals behind Eric Staal for the most in team history. It would take Aho's first-ever 40-goal season to get it done. I think he has a cast around him to make that possible.
If he doesn't reach it this season, he will next season without a doubt. He still has some work to do to catch Ron Francis' 382 goals, which tops the organization across both Hartford and Carolina. As the team's highest-paid player, the expectations should be the highest for him. The good news is that Aho embraces his role as a leader and plays the right way. He'll make a great captain in the future.