Canadiens sign Sebastian Aho to $42.25 million offer sheet

The Montreal Canadiens have made a bold move on the first day of free agency, signing restricted free agent Sebastian Aho to a five-year, $42.25 million offer sheet.

The Carolina Hurricanes now have seven days to match the contract, or accept compensation of a first-, second-, and third-round draft picks.

See also

• Montreal Canadiens sign free agent goaltender Keith Kinkaid
• Canucks sign free agent Jordie Benn to 2-year, $4 million contract
• Leafs sign Spezza and complete 6-player trade with Senators

Aho is a 21-year-old star who scored 83 points (30-53-83) in 82 games for Carolina last season.

Despite the fact that it has been part of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement for a long time, the offer sheet is a rarely-used ploy by general managers.

Breakdown of Aho offer sheet: $11.3M SB plus 700k salary in Year 1; $9.87M SB plus 700k salary in Year 2; $6.95 SB plus 750k salary in Year 3; $5.25 SB plus $750k in each of Year 4 and Year 5

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2019

Getting Aho for three draft picks would be an incredible deal for the Canadiens, despite the $8.45 million cap hit the Finnish centre would come with. Hockey-wise, it makes sense for Carolina to match the contract, though they are not a rich team, so this hurts them.