'Pretty funny,' comments Sebastian Aho of the Hurricanes' Kotkaniemi signing bonus
"To be honest, it's pretty funny, to see a $20 signing bonus," Aho told ESPN on Thursday, at the NHL Player Media Tour. "All jokes aside, we got a pretty good player."
Both Aho and Kotkaniemi are Finnish and communicated over the phone during the offer sheet process. They talked about real estate, restaurants, and life in Raleigh, Aho claimed.
"We talked about general stuff. Trying to help him with some of the small things," Aho said.
This month, Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon said it was "silly" to presume the offer sheet was made in retaliation. But he defended Carolina's social media mockery of the move, including the $20 signing bonus.
"We're all in the entertainment business and we don't have a league if people aren't entertained by it. So when it worked out the way it did, our philosophy organizationally on the business side is have as much fun, get as much attention as you can," Dundon said.
Aho also added:
"It got people talking. I think it's going to be a good thing. It's going to be fun playing them next year," Aho said. "It's part of the business. The social media is so huge these days. You don't have to play a game and you already have a buzz."
Credit: ESPN GREG
