Sebastian Aho reflects on Antti Raanta's shock placement on waivers, feels it's a wakeup call for Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho weighed in on the unexpected decision made by the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon, where they placed goaltender Antti Raanta on waivers. The surprising move followed Raanta's subpar performance this season, managing a 6-5-1 record in 14 games, coupled with a career-low 3.61 goals-against average and a .854 save percentage.

As the talented Finnish forward and alternate captain for the Hurricanes, Aho expressed his views on the situation. Walt Ruff, the team reporter for the Carolina Hurricanes, took to X (formerly Twitter) to convey Aho's sentiments. Aho was quoted saying:

"This has to be a wake-up call to the locker room. Everyone has to take a deep look in the mirror."

Acknowledging the challenges faced by Raanta, Aho said that the struggles were not solely on the goaltender's shoulders.

"It's not all on him as to why we've been struggling. That's never how it works, it's never one guy," Aho said.

Sebastian Aho also acknowledged the unique and challenging nature of the goaltender position:

"Goalie is a tough job, you're either the hero or the antihero."

These views reflect an understanding of the pressure and expectations of being between the pipes in the NHL.

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Sebastian Aho scores in a 2-1 loss to the Capitals

The Carolina Hurricanes faced a setback, losing 2-1 to the Washington Capitals in a shootout. Sebastian Aho showcased his scoring prowess, netting the Hurricanes' lone goal with a shot from the slot in the second period. Despite goalie Pyotr Kochetkov's 20 saves and a competitive effort, Carolina couldn't secure a win, marking its second consecutive loss.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour praised the team's adherence to the game plan:

“We did everything we wanted to do, just didn’t score. I thought we stuck with our gameplan really well and hit a few goalposts. Couple of inches here or there and it would have been a much different story.”

Carolina, now 2-0-2 in its last four games, struggled on the power play, going 0 for 5. The Hurricanes faced goaltending adjustments, with veteran Antti Raanta assigned to the AHL and Yaniv Perets called up as the backup. Despite the setbacks, Carolina remains focused on its game plan, seeking to turn inches into a different outcome.