Elliotte Friedman Shares Key Update on Maple Leafs' Pursuit of Coveted Free Agent
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman gave an update regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs' quest to sign coveted free agent college star Luke Haymes.
It was reported earlier on that the Toronto Maple Leafs had some serious interest regarding Dartmouth University forward Luke Haymes, who has been lighting it up in NCAA and could be on the path to the NHL very soon.
There are several teams in the running to potentially sign the standout, and with the Maple Leafs having success with players like Matthew Knies and Jacob Quillan; Haymes could be the next college success story.
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the team is still actively pursuing the forward and it doesn't look like they are giving up on him anytime soon:
Those are three heavy-duty teams looking to pursue Haymes, so let's take a quick look at to what he would offer teams going forward.
Luke Haymes Could Be NHL's Next Breakout NCAA Star
College hockey has often fallen by the wayside as players in junior hockey are often viewed as more viable candidates, but in recent years we've seen some pretty fantastic collegiate players come out including Matthew Knies and Brady Skjei.
But with those successes, Haymes could add himself to the list. Recording 12 points in 16 games so far (8G, 4A), the 6'1, 203-pound power forward could find himself shortly signing an NHL deal.
He offers teams great hockey IQ, smooth-skating, aggressive and physical when needed and can offer some scoring punch as well.
He would fit in perfectly with the Maple Leafs' identity and could add some much needed size and pop to the team's second line. It worked putting Knies with stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the same could be done for Haymes with John Tavares and William Nylander.
Toronto could sign him in time for the end of the season push and give him a spot in the playoffs and see how he does under pressure, and if he does well then the team may have found a diamond after all.
