Confirmed Signing with Link: [MTL] Sebastian Aho signs an offer sheet with the Canadiens (5 years, $8.454M AAV) - Pt. 3

[Arhidia]

With hurricanes matching and getting to 23
Man roster they will be pretty close to the 81.5 cap
76-77 mill if u bring in young guys or ahlers
With the bonuses to be paid
They better pack the place nightly

 

[Icarium]

Man, Aho's gonna be taking his first shift as a hab and people still going to be like "what a bad offer, dundon is laughing and will definitely match ASAP"

And sadly then you are going to wake up.

 

[Starat327]

The only thing Bergevin can't do is trade his 1st, 2nd and 3rd picks, for the next 6 days. He has multiple 2nds and 3rds too so he can still trade those if he wants, and he has never traded a 1st, ever.

They can go over the cap by 10% which is the Aho contract, plus they have mountains of cap space regardless. This doesn't affect Montreal's ability to do anything.

And I'm sure there is no doubt Carolina will match. They've bragged about it, made jokes about it. They've done everything except actually match.

It affects their ability to offer any other offer sheets, and gives the rest of the league 6 days additional time with one less team circling with an offer sheet.

Though, quite honestly, if Bergevin is going to gift wrap contracts to people, maybe it is in everyone's bes interest to match immediately.

 

[Ahoy there]

"Matching the contract is gonna hurt"

"Aho 100% wants to be a Hab"

"You'll only have him for 5 years"

I need more hot takes for my cracked article

Shoot...

"Canes can't afford it / this will be financially crippling" (as if he were going to play for free prior to the OS)

"Stuck with him for a year"

"MTL, no a shitty hockey market deserves superstars" (my personal favorite)

Apart from the taeks, I love the technique employed. Make shit up, repeat it ad naseum, then when Cane fans clap back - ask why they're so defensive.

 

[expy]

and im sure in your mind, once again the habs walk away with the unanimous decision victory

Like I said, the worse outcome for the Habs, is status quo.

 

[Rockomax]

"Matching the contract is gonna hurt"

"Aho 100% wants to be a Hab"

"You'll only have him for 5 years"

I need more hot takes for my cracked article

It's funny because most Habs fans don't have that kind of discourse. Obviously, this is the biggest subject of conversation today and until the Hurricanes match. 90% of the fans know that Aho wanted a 5 years contract with signing bonuses, Montreal offered it, he took it. Why would Aho absolutely want to play for the Habs? It's not like we have many successful playoffs runs overs the last 25 years. Also, we have among the highest income taxes in the league and the media is rabid about this team and especially its best players.

Having Aho for the next 5 years is a win for whoever has him. And the way your team is developing, he will most probably be there for more than 5 years.

And, we all know that the offersheet is easily getting matched, some people (very few) are desperate for hope of a better future for our team, which makes them irrational. There is much too much to lose not matching while way to little to gain. Everyone knows this is not that big an issue for Carolina albeit probably an irritating situation, nothing more. This is a PR move by Bergevin, nothing more. He himself said in press conference that "it shows the fans and our players that we are trying to improve the team". He's just trying to reduce the pressure on his shoulders.

Laugh all you want about our fanbase and I agree some are delusional and make up facts to fit their wish, but the vast majority knows we are not getting Aho even though we would all love to have him (who wouldn't?). Every journalist in town agrees as well and they are all heavily biased towards the Canadiens. At least it makes us talk about something else than our UFA signings Keith Kincaid and Riley Barber.

 

[joe dirte]

As i said many times......Waddell is upset it's a 5 year deal .

Face those facts.

Yeah im sure he wanted a deaL that went in to UFA years. So instead he gets shorter term at lower cap hit. Im sure he would have preferred longer but its not a big deal.

Again, as i said, its an easy match and the habs wont get anything out of it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Like I said, the worse outcome for the Habs, is status quo.

The worst outcome is being convinced that this is a useful way for your GM to spend his summer, rather than actually improving his own team.

 

[joe dirte]

Like I said, the worse outcome for the Habs, is status quo.

Well thats pretty much the only outcome.

 

[expy]

The worst outcome is being convinced that this is a useful way for your GM to spend his summer, rather than actually improving his own team.

7 days is not a summer.

Well thats pretty much the only outcome.

So it doesn't hurt to try.

Now let's wait for the Canes GM to match.

 

[TooManyHumans]

The Habs? They lose nothing. They gain nothing. Status Quo.

They lose the ability to really go after free agents until the offer sheet is matched or not. Maybe they wouldn't have anyway, but that is something negative to consider.

 

[Montrealer]

The worst outcome is being convinced that this is a useful way for your GM to spend his summer, rather than actually improving his own team.

This is true only if you think that he's forced to use EA's NHL series as a transaction interface and he's stuck on the Waiting for Response screen and can't do anything else for 7 days.

 

[ottawa]

Hab fans: 5 years of Aho! This is amazing! I pray they don't match

also Hab fans: haha you will only have Aho for 5 years.

We'd be getting him cheap so it would be a win.

Carolina should (and will) match, that's cool...see you in 5 years Aho

 

[expy]

They lose the ability to really go after free agents until the offer sheet is matched or not. Maybe they wouldn't have anyway, but that is something negative to consider.

They're only barred from signing for 7 days, doesn't mean they can't come to terms with free agents in the mean time.

 

[Tuggy]

The worst outcome is being convinced that this is a useful way for your GM to spend his summer, rather than actually improving his own team.

I fully expect Carolina to match, but it's only a week.

Nothing left in UFA that would really help the Habs anyway. Maybe Gardiner.

If Carolina matches then Bergevin can move on to something else. This doesn't handcuff him like many are saying (most just trolling I assume).

 

[Ahoy there]

In the end, Aho doesn't want to be there, they sign a contract forced upon them, and can't trade him for a year. The owner is out 20M+ in the first week as well.

The hurricanes are losers in the end no matter what.

Yikes. I mean y'all are just having fun now, correct? Aho doesn't want to be there? We can't trade him - why the f*** do we want to trade him? 20 mill the 1st week???? ffs.

 

[mitchmagic]

Bergevin is a liar and has always been a liar. His dumb diatribe about saving cap room for future signings makes absolutely no sense -- when you get to that point, you move terrible contracts or make some space for your team.

 

[Montrealer]

They lose the ability to really go after free agents until the offer sheet is matched or not. Maybe they wouldn't have anyway, but that is something negative to consider.

They can go 10% above the cap during the off-season. What's the worst that happens if they sign, say, Gardiner? Carolina doesn't match and we then need to move contracts? THAT is the worst case scenario? That they get Aho?!

I say this as someone who thinks it's basically impossible they don't match. It just doesn't handcuff the Habs in any realistic way.

 

[MaxDummy]

Bergevin playing snakes and ladders thinking hes playing 4D chess. Nothing new

 

[waffledave]

It affects their ability to offer any other offer sheets, and gives the rest of the league 6 days additional time with one less team circling with an offer sheet.

Though, quite honestly, if Bergevin is going to gift wrap contracts to people, maybe it is in everyone's bes interest to match immediately.

Well even if the Canes match at the 11th hour it is still just 6 days away. The big RFA contracts won't be done by then, these things often go into late summer. At this point no way would I sign as an RFA without seeing how this plays out. There are a bunch of early 20's guys out there waiting who can get a guaranteed fast track to UFA and get paid $20mil up front. They just need to wait 6 days.

 

[NORiculous]

I still think that:
1. Aho knows it's 100% that Canes will match this contract so it being with Canadiens is of no concern
2. Aho wanted 5 years and likes the contract structure.

Yeah. But he also has to be ok in playing for Montreal. Nothing is 100%. Sure it might be like 95%+ the Canes match. But as a player you still need to be prepared for the possibility.

 

[expy]

Yikes. I mean y'all are just having fun now, correct? Aho doesn't want to be there? We can't trade him - why the **** do we want to trade him? 20 mill the 1st week???? ffs.

Whoops, meant year.

 

[Unsustainable]

 

[bobholly39]

They lose the ability to really go after free agents until the offer sheet is matched or not. Maybe they wouldn't have anyway, but that is something negative to consider.

Habs were in on Duchene pretty heavily it seems. They went after all the ufas they wanted just havent landed any yet. They have enough cap space to still go after whoever and not wait

 

[Starat327]

Well even if the Canes match at the 11th hour it is still just 6 days away. The big RFA contracts won't be done by then, these things often go into late summer. At this point no way would I sign as an RFA without seeing how this plays out. There are a bunch of early 20's guys out there waiting who can get a guaranteed fast track to UFA and get paid $20mil up front. They just need to wait 6 days.

Maybe (and likely) not. But it's only going to take one if these deals to start triggering everyone else's. Ahos new deal is going to be used as a barometer for the other agents and teams in negotiations. Its unlikely that ALL of them are signed, but saying none of them signed is pure speculation, just like the idea that Aho doesnt want to play in Carolina.