Fansided

Which player will be each NHL team’s superstar in 5 years?

By Griffin Youngs

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 1 - Auston Matthews
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 1 - Auston Matthews /
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RALEIGH, NC – SEPTEMBER 30: Carolina Hurricanes right wing Sebastian Aho (20) waits for a puck to be dropped during a game between the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on September 30, 2018. Nashville defeated Carolina 5 – 4 in OT. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – SEPTEMBER 30: Carolina Hurricanes right wing Sebastian Aho (20) waits for a puck to be dropped during a game between the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on September 30, 2018. Nashville defeated Carolina 5 – 4 in OT. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Carolina Hurricanes- Sebastian Aho

The Carolina Hurricanes are currently in the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, having not made it to the postseason since the 2008-09 season. Since then, the Hurricanes have only had one season above 90 points, and really haven’t strongly challenged for the playoffs since 2010-11 when they missed by two points. Slowly but surely over the years, the Hurricanes have been building a team well overdue for a breakout to get into the postseason, all led by future Finnish superstar Sebastian Aho.

Sebastian Aho was the 35th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has turned into perhaps the biggest steal of that entire draft. Since making his debut with the Hurricanes in the 2016-17 season, Aho has been a consistent point scorer and immediately showed his upside with a 49 point season his rookie year at 19 years old. Aho improved on that the total next season with a 65 point year, and is not just on pace to break that this year, but surpass the point per game plateau. His 12 game assist streak to open the year tied him with Wayne Gretzky and Ken Linseman as the only players in league history to open a season with assists in 12 straight games.

The great news for the Hurricanes is that Aho isn’t the only candidate for the teams best best player five years from now. Andrei Svechnikov was the 2nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, and has the upside to be one of the best goal scorers in the league after some time in the league, but Aho has already proven himself to be able to reach his potential, while it’s too early to say for Svechnikov. Tuevo Teravaienen also has upside, but not to the level of Aho.

Five years from now, we are likely seeing one of the premier Finnish players in the NHL, at worst top three with Patrik Laine and Alexander Barkov. His playmaking skills are already among some of the best in the league, and everybody seems to play much better once on a line with him. He will be the one that leads the Hurricanes back to the postseason, whether it’s this season or next, because this team is just too talented with Aho leading the way to continue this slump.

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