Some people around hockey still want to argue that the Carolina Hurricanes don’t have a true superstar. Sebastian Aho keeps making that case look silly.
For nearly a decade, he’s been the face of the franchise, and now he’s on the verge of piling up just about every post-relocation record the team has. That’s superstar stuff.
This season has only strengthened that argument. Aho has opened with the best stretch of his career, producing 16 assists and 26 points in 19 games while ranking second on the club with 10 goals.
He’s also coming off a three-point outing against Chicago on Saturday, which pushed him to seven points over his last four games. Now he’s back in Finland with a chance to turn a strong start into something historic.
The big number hanging over him is Eric Staal’s franchise goals mark. Aho is two goals shy of tying it, and when the year began, that felt like a possibility sometime down the road.
With the Global Series in his home country, it suddenly feels a lot more immediate. If he gets there in Finland, that’s the kind of storyline hockey fans remember.
Aho’s connection to Finnish hockey runs deep, and it started long before he became a centerpiece in Carolina. Since his junior days, he has been a major figure for Finland, carrying that role through international tournaments and into the NHL.
He’s represented his country with pride, and the Hurricanes have benefited from that same standard. Even this summer, when he brought the Stanley Cup to a concert, the reaction showed just how recognizable he’s become back home.
His international résumé is loaded. Aho played twice at the U18 Championships and won silver in 2015.
He also appeared twice at the World Juniors, but his 2016 run in Helsinki stands out most. Finland won gold in overtime against Russia, and Aho had a goal and an assist in the final.
He finished that tournament with 14 points, second only to short-lived Hurricane Jesse Puljujarvi.
Later in 2016, Aho added a silver medal at the World Championship, where he was the second-youngest player on Finland’s roster. After making his NHL debut, he returned for the World Championship in 2017 and 2018. That 2018 tournament was another big one for him individually: he was named one of the best forwards after scoring nine goals and 18 points in eight games, even though Finland went out in the quarterfinals.
Because Carolina kept winning in the regular season, it took a while for Aho to get back in Finland’s colors again. He was one of Finland’s first selections for the 4 Nations tournament in 2025, and he also earned an Olympic spot in 2026.
In both events, he wore an “A” for his country. At Milano Cortina, he was excellent and helped Finland win bronze.
Before the season started, the hope was that Aho would rediscover the gamebreaking edge that has always been part of his skill set. Nearly a quarter of the season in, he’s done that and then some.
At this point, it shouldn’t really surprise anyone. Back home, with the spotlight on him, he has a chance to deliver another memorable performance - and maybe a record, too.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Are Suddenly Back In A High-Stakes Erik Karlsson Chase
Erik Karlssons situation in Pittsburgh is starting to look like one of the more intriguing trade watches on the NHL calendar, and Carolina is right there among the teams keeping tabs. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the Hurricanes are monitoring the Penguins defenseman as Pittsburgh slides into seller mode, with Karlsson now in the final year of his contract and his future suddenly back in focus.
The wrinkle is that any move would have to clear a complicated path, which is why this is far from a simple deadline-style rumor. Carolina was in the mix for Karlsson before, and the fit still makes sense for a club that has long been willing to swing big when a top-end defenseman becomes available, but the next step depends on how Pittsburgh handles the situation and how much traction develops once the new year arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Defense Plans Still Leave One Intriguing Name In Play
The Maple Leafs are taking a careful approach with Chris Tanev, using a fluid load management plan that has him sitting out certain games in November to help manage his workload. At the same time, Toronto is still hunting for a meaningful blue-line upgrade through trades, looking for something that can fit beyond just the current season. For Carolina, that kind of market movement matters, because the Hurricanes have been linked to the defense conversation all along and remain in the mix as the picture around available help begins to sharpen.
Erik Karlsson is still the name that keeps the door cracked open for the Hurricanes, even as he continues to play well in Pittsburgh. The fit is obvious enough to keep monitoring, especially for a team that has not hidden its interest in adding another proven defenseman, but the timing and the cost are the real questions hanging over any pursuit. For now, Carolina can watch how the market develops while one of the more intriguing options on the board keeps building his case. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Keep Winning But Another Reality Check May Be Coming
Edmonton has been stacking up wins against the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, but the way those results came together has left plenty of room for concern. Strong goaltending from Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi has helped cover for stretches where the Oilers were outplayed, and both Mike Babcock and Zach Hyman have acknowledged that winning still matters even when the process is shaky.
The bigger test is coming again with Toronto on the schedule, and Edmonton knows it needs more than another night of rescue work in goal. For a team trying to avoid a rougher follow-up after a good run, the next game feels like a chance to show the underlying play is catching up to the results before the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]