Sebastian Aho May Want to Play in Montreal But It's Legitimately Meaningless
By Brendan Azoff
Sebastian Aho and the Montreal Canadiens agreed to a front-loaded offer sheet on the first day of free agency, giving the Hurricanes seven days to match the contract.
Although it may seem meaningless, Aho's agent, Gerry Johannson, believes that Carolina may have a tough time matching the offer and that his client '100 percent' wants to play for Montreal.
Folks, I can tell you that Hurricanes team executives were literally cheering about how easy the offer sheet would be to sign. It doesn't matter who is saying what right now.
— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) July 2, 2019
Despite Johannson's optimism in regards to Aho's future with the Habs, it did not take long for the Hurricanes to wittingly tweet out a response to the Canadiens offer that ultimately proves Aho's willingness to play in Montreal does not matter in the slightest.
Will we match the offer sheet for Sebastian Aho?
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) July 1, 2019
The poll, which lists two possible answers of yes and oui, since Montreal is in French-Canada, shows that Carolina intends to match the offer sheet. The Hurricanes will most likely wait a little while to do so however, as a punishment to the Canadiens for breaking the unwritten rules of the NHL.
By waiting to match, the Canes can virtually eliminate Montreal from making any other moves and potentially missing out on other key free agents. Although Aho may want to play in the biggest hockey market in the world, he will most likely be suiting up in Raleigh once the puck drops on the new season.