Sebastian Aho signed an eight-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes worth $79 million on Wednesday.

Could William Nylander see a contract similar to the one Sebastian Aho just signed with the Carolina Hurricanes?

The 26-year-old Finnish-born center signed an eight-year deal with the Hurricanes on Wednesday that carries an AAV of $9.75 million.

Aho has had 60 or more points in four of his five seasons in the NHL. The season where he didn't have over 60 points was in 2020-21, where Aho still averaged over a point per game. His rookie campaign, where he scored 83 points (30 goals, 53 assists) in 82 games, was the best season he's had in the league.

His best year since then was the 2021-22 season in which Aho scored 81 points (37 goals, 44 assists) in 79 games. The 26-year-old has even been impressive in the playoffs, putting up 58 points in 63 postseason games.

Nylander and the Maple Leafs have been far apart on a contract, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reporting on NHL Network that "unless somebody really budges their position, that one's going to stay at a standstill."

Comparing Sebastian Aho and William Nylander

The reason to compare both Aho and William Nylander is that they're both close in age and offensive output.

Nylander's best season to date was this past year in which he put up career-highs in both goals (40) and assists (47) in a full 82-game season. It's the first time in the 27-year-old's NHL career that he's hit the 40-goal mark in a season.

Aho, as mentioned before, had his best season during his rookie year, scoring 83 points in 82 games. He's never hit the 40-goal mark but has been very close in recent years, scoring 38 goals in the 2019-20 season.

Although both players provide similar offensive outputs, there are subtle differences that could allow Aho to make more money than Nylander in the long run.

Playing down the middle is one of them. The 26-year-old has been Carolina's top center since he joined the team back in 2018. Playing that position, as well as being defensively strong, will make Aho's value to the team vital.

Nylander, although valuable in other ways, doesn't play center, which could hinder the amount of money he gets in his next contract. But what the 27-year-old does better than Aho is scoring, at least in recent years.

Over the last two seasons, Nylander has averaged over a point-per-game (1.02) while Aho has averaged under a point-per-game (0.96). Aho, though, over the course of his career has a better points-per-game (0.9) than Nylander (0.83).

Consistency is a big factor here too. Aho has been very good ever since he arrived in the league while Nylander has needed time to level up his offensive output over the last few years.

But does the recent uptick in scoring by Nylander eliminate the career consistency factor that Aho has had? It very well could when it comes to contract negotiations.

With the two players being so close in age and point production, it could lead to a similar contract in the future. Maybe Aho edges Nylander out because of the position he plays, maybe he doesn't.

Either way, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has more work to do before next season gets underway.

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