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CANES MATCH HABS OFFER ON AHO...

Aho’s statement hit all the right notes. Hope that puts the issue to bed for most of the Canes faithful who may have had issues with him signing with the Habs. It won’t sate the Habs fans, but I doubt anything could.

Good job by him for getting that statement out quickly. Wonder whether he’ll change agents in the next few years before this contract is up.


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Aho’s statement hit all the right notes. Hope that puts the issue to bed for most of the Canes faithful who may have had issues with him signing with the Habs. It won’t sate the Habs fans, but I doubt anything could.

Good job by him for getting that statement out quickly. Wonder whether he’ll change agents in the next few years before this contract is up.


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Glad to see the statement, but not sure why he would change agents. Honestly, his agent did a great job here by getting him his expected AAV with extremely favorable terms, only 5-years in length meaning he will be a UFA at a very early age, and he has protection in event of a lockout. All this accomplished early in summer so he can relax and prepare for the upcoming season. Not sure what more Aho could have asked for from his agent who used everything available per the current CBA terms. I think Montreal was the one that ultimately got played here.
 
While the Canes are not thrilled with Aho's agent by any means, that has little to do with his relationship with the guy. Johansson got him his 5 years, got him his money and got him to camp on time. All three of Aho's boxes are checked.
 
Count me as unimpressed. Perhaps I am being a bit difficult, but he didn't write the statement. It some PR bullsh!t that is an effort toward covering his bases. The Canes were woefully unprepared for a full court press and the agent played them-- and he's an a$$h0le. That being said, I get the statement, but I will also remember he signed it and is complicit in the agent's actions. I get it, I understand it-- I'm still bitchy about it.
 
Sure. And I think that's fine. I just don't think we ought to let bitchy turn into bitter, because let's be honest ... everybody acted within the framework of the CBA and the end result is absolutely acceptable even if the road to get there was unpleasant.

And while I would have vastly preferred the Hurricanes to have gotten Aho locked up before July 1st and thus avoided even the temptation of an offer sheet, it's not been a good summer for that for most of the teams with higher profile RFAs. We're better off than Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Tampa and Columbus all of whom have key RFAs who haven't singed and don't like particularly close to signing. All of their summer budgets are in limbo and will likely stay that way for a long, long time. Carolina could easily be in that same boat, but because their young star was so determined not to miss the start of camp ... they aren't.
 
Again, I’m on the side of Aho and think he has a good agent. Aho, like anyone else wants earn max. In 5 years if he’s fallen off production will the canes sign him to a lucrative contract? If he’d signed a team friendly contract, gets into his 30’s and is a mediocre player would the canes sign him to a massive contract or as little as possible or even jettison him?
 
I don't see a lot of reason to be upset. The team wanted him for longer term at about the AAV they signed him for. Aho wasn't going to sign a longer deal at that AAV.

There aren't a lot of possible outcomes on this that are especially good.

1. Aho caves and signs an 8 year deal for the same AAV - great for the team but unlikely.
2. The team caves and signs a deal similar to what they signed - not very likely.
3. No deal and Aho holds out.
4. They reach and agreement for a longer term but higher AAV.

Any of those options drag out and probably get somewhat acrimonious. The only mistake in the process was probably a failure to communicate that Aho had no intention of signing a longer deal for this AAV. The front loading/lockout proof contract increases the value to him, so he might not have accepted the same AAV with a more even spread of the income.

I've got no issue with him being willing to go somewhere else to get the maximum income he can for himself, and based on everything we've ever heard about him, it seems likely that he's being honest that he's happy to be signed with the Hurricanes.

I'm not sure why there would be any issue with him doing whatever he needed to do within the current system to get the deal he wanted. It should also serve as a lesson to the team to maybe get the deal done if there's one there that works, even if it's not exactly the one you want.
 
Again, I’m on the side of Aho and think he has a good agent. Aho, like anyone else wants earn max. In 5 years if he’s fallen off production will the canes sign him to a lucrative contract? If he’d signed a team friendly contract, gets into his 30’s and is a mediocre player would the canes sign him to a massive contract or as little as possible or even jettison him?

I agree Windy, despite how it got there, the only number that really matters is the $8.45 million per which to me is still under current market value which helps the Canes to continue to build what they have here. I am willing to bet the house on the fact that many of those still unsigned RFA's are going to come in much higher than Aho and it's going to be an overpay. Marner is going to get his $10 to $11 million per, Tkachuk is going to get a number higher than Aho and I'm willing to bet that Brayden Point is too. Jeff Freaking Skinner is going to be making more money then Aho with a $9 million AAV and signed to that inflated contract for 8 long years!!!
 
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If Aho continues to improve and impress over the next 5 years, then we'll have to (and probably be happy to) pay him the bigger bucks to keep him in Raleigh. No need to quibble over a shorter contract, since everyone is pleased with the price tag.
 
Aho signed the offer sheet on July 1st. The Canes had until yesterday to match it. Once Aho signed the offer sheet his contract terms were agreed to, just a matter of who that contract would be with.
 
An unsigned offer sheet is meaningless. Presumably, Montreal could have pulled the offer if Aho had not signed it.

My understanding is that nowadays, teams don't extend a formal offer sheet through the league office until the player/agent have verbally agreed to sign it. I mean, why would you?
 
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