Carolina Hurricanes star forward Sebastian Aho received quite the birthday present as he agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $9.75 million AAV on Wednesday.
In recent years, the Carolina Hurricanes have become a top cup-contending team, and Aho may be the perfect cherry on top of the cake.
Last year the forward scored 36 goals and 67 points while banking another five goals and 12 points during the Hurricanes’ 15-game playoff run. Aho has become one of the best two-way centres in the game and since joining the team in 2016-17, he’s been a consistent 60-plus points player. His highest career points came in 2018-19 when he scored 30 goals and 83 points.
Aho has spent the entirety of his seven years in the NHL with the Hurricanes after they drafted him 35th overall in the second round in the 2015 draft. His contributions up front have proven valuable to the organization; in 520 games, he’s scored 218 goals and 468 points. With Aho locked into a long-term deal under $10 million a year, it’s a win for both sides.
Here’s more on the details of the news from Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis:
Aho has one year left on his current contract with an AAV of $8.46 million. His new deal will buy the Hurricanes eight UFA years of Aho’s career. His most recent deal came as an offer sheet from the Montreal Canadiens, with the Hurricanes quickly matching the deal in 2019.

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Toronto Maple Leafs place goaltender Matt Murray on LTIR

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Matt Murray on the long-term injured reserve Wednesday, likely ending the netminder’s time on the team.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Murray appeared in 26 games, with a record of 14-8-2 with a .903 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average — both marks hovering close to league average.
Although Murray’s record wasn’t all that bad, he was battling off and on injuries throughout the year which pushed Ilya Samsonov to the No.1 and even saw a late-season emergence of Joseph Woll to pose as another option between the pipes. The decision to put Murray on LTIR results in saving his nearly $4.7 million against the cap in 2023-24.
Here’s more on the Leafs latest move from Daily Faceoff‘s Anthony Trudeau:
Murray’s health, which limited him to 47 total games over two seasons with the Sens, again sabotaged him as the big shot-stopper managed just 26 appearances due to various ailments before an April concussion knocked him out for good.
With Murray out, former Washington Capital Ilya Samsonov seized Toronto’s net to great effect, stopping .919 percent of shots he faced while surrendering just 2.33 goals per game and winning 27 of his 40 starts. Murray allowed a comparatively pedestrian 3.01 goals per game with a .903 save percentage.

Boston Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron retires after 19 seasons in the NHL

After 19 years in the staple Boston Bruins black and yellow sweater, Patrice Bergeron is hanging up the skates and retiring from his NHL career.
The Bruins captain announced his retirement on Tuesday at 38 years old after 1,294 games, 427 goals, and 1,040 points, all with the one team he lived his dreams with daily.
“For the last 20 years I have been able to live my dream every day,” Bergeron said in a statement released Tuesday morning. “I have had the honor of playing in front of the best fans in the world wearing the Bruins uniform and representing my country at the highest levels of international play. I have given the game everything that I have physically and emotionally, and the game has given me back more than I could have ever imagined.”
During his career, Bergeron compiled a respectable number of accomplishments, a Stanley Cup in 2011, six Frank J. Selke Trophies (2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2012-22, 2022-23), a King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2012-13), and a Mark Messier Leadership Award (2020-21), he will be known as one of the best 200-foot players defining excellence on the ice, with an optimized hockey IQ who always put him a considerable step ahead his opponents.
One of Bergeron’s more memorable moments came in the 2013 eastern conference quarter-finals between the Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs with the series tied at three. The B’s were down 4-1 in the third period, but rallied to tie the game heading into overtime with three goals in the final 10 minutes. Just six minutes into extra frames, it was Bergeron who beat Leafs netminder James Reimer to win the series with then-Bruins play-by-play voice Dave Goucher shouting “BERGERON! BERGERON!”