Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Refuses to Sign With Team: Will Become a Free Agent

The Carolina Hurricanes have been through plenty of drama in the last few months with players not wanting to sign with the team, and now, unfortunately, it's happened again.

According to reports, Lucas Mercuri, the teams sixth-round draft pick from the 2020 NHL Draft is done his career at the University of Massachusetts, but is refusing to sign with the team.

The 23-year old stands 6-foot-3 and is a native of Quebec, and while many won't be too worried about a lower level prospect refusing to sign with a team, it's certainly not a good look after the way things played out with Mikko Rantanen.

In four seasons with UMass, Mercuri improved year over year, posting a career high 31 points in 38 games a season ago, and with good physicality and a solid shot, he has the potential to be a solid professional one day.

Now however, he's set to become a free agent once again, and with many college free agents beginning to sign, he's expected to draw plenty of attention, with the scouting report stating that he's one of the most improved and consistent players at the NCAA level over the past few years.

With every team in the NHL looking for high character, two-way centres, there's no doubt that teams will be interested in Mercuri, and while the reason behind his refusal to sign in Carolina will be a big question mark, teams will certainly be ready to get him in the AHL as soon as they possibly can if they can land his signature.