since canes thread seem extinct, ill post aho's contract analysis here. This was written before Habs offer sheeted him
Perhaps surprisingly, the other player slated to earn eight figures per season is Aho. In a smaller market like Carolina, it’s difficult to see him getting $10 million per year, but it’s worthy of discussion given the season he just had.
He had his strongest season to date playing 20 minutes per night and earning 83 points in 82 games. His 5-on-5 scoring rate over the last two seasons is slightly higher than Rantanen’s at 2.17, and that’s without nearly as much help. He did all that while being a strong two-way presence at centre – his first NHL season at the position full-time – putting up a 56 percent expected goals share for the Hurricanes. He’s one of the strongest drivers of team offence in the league and is both a gifted scorer and play-maker.
Most importantly though, Aho is the face of the franchise and Carolina’s most valuable player. He was a major catalyst in the team’s surprise season and deserves a hefty contract as a result. At 3.4 wins, he’s right in line with the two best RFAs available here in a tier of their own. Over a max deal, Aho deserves around $9.3 million per season – anything around there would be fair game. Something tells me it won’t take that much to retain his services, and his deal could end up being a steal relative to the rest of the market. Over the next seven seasons, Aho projects to be one of the 10 most valuable players in the NHL.