Should the Montreal Canadiens have given Sebastian Aho a greater offer?
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens earned a lot of respect from the rest of the league in making the move. Bergevin was the first general manager in a long time to put the success of his team and the satisfaction of the fans and his owner ahead of the “honour and respectability” amongst other NHL executives.
At the same time, many are scratching their heads wondering why the offer sheet wasn’t anything more. Bumping the offer up to the next level, which would’ve cost the Montreal Canadiens two firsts, a second, and a third may have done the trick. At the very least, it would’ve made the Carolina Hurricanes sweat a little more.
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An $8.4 million contract is a steal for a player like Aho. His production definitely earns the right to be included in that $9 million range and the position he plays further pushes that narrative. If the Habs instead offered him say the $9.5 million Aho countered with, the Hurricanes may have something else to think about considering they’ve yet to acknowledge or accept it prior to the offer sheet.
One thing to keep in mind is even though the Montreal Canadiens have cap space now, it’s not going to last forever. Bergevin is clearly cognizant of this and knows he has Max Domi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Victor Mete coming up soon. Domi could ask for something in the $8 million range if he has another 70-plus point year (given the market Duchene and Kevin Hayes have created) and the Habs don’t want to put themselves in a financial corner after a number of headache-free years.