Competitive NHL teams are built on high end forwards, and Sebastian Aho’s play this year shows that he’s a cornerstone. He has become the Hurricanes’ most impactful forward and will be for the foreseeable future barring a major change to the group. The 21-year-old continues to outperform expectations — this year he did so by making a seamless transition from an elite winger to a bonafide top line center.
Likely concerned about his two-way game and offensive production, Rod Brind’Amour was initially hesitant in moving Aho to the center of the ice. An odd Victor Rask injury forced the new head coach to address a lack of depth up the middle.