The Canadiens made a big move Monday, tendering an offer sheet to forward Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The proposed contract is for five years, with an average annual value of $8.454 million US.
That AAV lands in the third-highest tier of compensation for an offer sheet, meaning Montreal would have to give up a first, second and third round pick if Carolina decides not to match. They have seven days to decide.
After learning of the offer sheet, Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said, “I’m actually surprised it wasn’t more.”
The Canadiens went heavy in the signing bonus structure, as detailed by Pierre LeBrun on twitter.
More than $21M paid out in first 12 months. <a href=”https://t.co/4JPKXdeLP5″>https://t.co/4JPKXdeLP5</a>
—@TSNBobMcKenzie
Aho, who is 21 years old, scored 30 goals an 83 points last season in 82 games.
The last offer sheet tendered in the NHL was in 2013 when the Calgary Flames gave one to Ryan O’Reilly. The deal was matched by the Colorado Avalanche.