Ex-NHL player weighs in on Sebastian Aho's $78,000,000 extension with Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho, defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes, inked an eight-year contract for $78 million on July 26, 2023. The hefty amount on Aho’s contract has left the hockey community stunned.

Former player Matt Murley has recently made his opinion public on Sebastian Aho’s mega bucks. Murley currently works as a sports betting expert on Barstool Sports' Spittin' Chiclets podcast. Along with his former teammate Colby Armstrong, he frequently features on the podcast's spin-off show, Chiclets Game Notes.

It is evident that Matt Murley considers the contract between Sebastian Aho and the Hurricanes to be a great one. He agrees on the fact that finding free agents has gotten fairly difficult in recent years due to what appears to have been a shortage of outstanding players.

It is a common practice to lock young players into long-term contracts, even if it means paying them a little more than their on-ice performance indicates. According to Matt Murley, this understanding makes it a win-win situation for the Hurricanes and Sebastian Aho. Let’s take a look at what Murley said,

“It’s tough to find free agents anymore. There’s no free agents. We saw it this year; there were no big players. So you have to lock in your guys. You got to lock him in the long term.”

He also added,

“Maybe it’s a little higher than you know, maybe his points show, but when you’re a leader of that team, you’re in Carolina, you got to overpay just a little bit, but I think it’s a great deal for both sides but if anything, maybe a little extra money but that’s what he gets for being probably a lifetime Canes.”

Carolina Hurricanes bind Sebastian Aho to an eight-year contract

Carolina Hurricanes made a huge move by signing defenseman Sebastian Aho to an eight-year extension worth $9.75 million per year. The NHL 2024-25 season will mark the start of this extension, which will last until the 2031-32 campaign. Aho has one more year left on his current five-year deal, which pays him $8.46 million annually.

With a no-move and no-trade clause for the first seven years, the recently inked contract speaks volumes about their belief in Aho. A 15-team no-trade provision will also go into force in the eighth year. Aho is here to stay!