Craig Berube believes Maple Leafs’ Easton Cowan is ready for NHL after preseason

Easton Cowan entered training camp as the most intriguing player on the roster and after a stellar preseason, the 20-year-old may have made the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night roster. Cowan did not score during Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, but Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube vouched for him after the game, believing that the reigning Memorial Cup MVP can make an immediate impact.

“I think he is,” Berube said of Cowan’s readiness for the NHL. “We got decisions to make, but I think he showed us enough that he is ready. I mean, he’s got a motor on him. Like, he’s just constant work and he’s got a high IQ. I like him a lot,” Berube said via TSN’s Mark Masters.

Cowan seemed like a lock to start on the fourth line alongside Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton prior to Saturday’s game. Laughton suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday’s game against the Red Wings and he’s week-to-week, which has forced Berube to alter some combinations. Will the final spot come down to Cowan, Nick Robertson, David Kampf or Calle Jarnkrok? In any event, the 20-year-old Cowan has the highest upside, and is the bridge between the team’s win-now present and an uncertain future.

“He had a good summer. I could tell he got a lot stronger, a lot faster,” Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies said of Cowan. “He looks a lot more mature of a player. So, yeah, he’s been having a great camp and I think he deserves the attention he’s getting, and the chance to be in the opening night lineup.”

Cowan’s improved confidence and physicality have been notable throughout training camp and while he could play the majority of the year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, there’s a genuine excitement about what the 2023 first-round pick will be able to produce at the NHL level, with some scoring punch and defensive acumen.

“I felt like I did good things and played some of my best hockey I’ve played in a while,” Cowan said following Thursday’s game. “And that’s a good 200-foot game, generating chances. Eventually, they’re going to go in. So I’m just going to keep having that mindset and keeping it day-by-day, like I’ve been saying.”