Maple Leafs’ Cowan Excelling in Potential Breakout Season

While it is a very small sample to start the season, when Cowan is on the ice, the Maple Leafs have been dominant in the offensive zone. At five-on-five, he is first on the team in expected goals for (73.48%), scoring chances for (78.79%) and high danger chances for (82.35%). Leading the team this early in the underlying numbers department is impressive.

The results back up his play, as Cowan is even more relentless on the attack than he has ever been before. He has found an extra gear in his speed and the way he’s battling and getting the inside edge in puck battles is making him a player that can do a lot of damage. The chemistry he has formed with Nick Paul and Colton Sissons is undeniable as they all play a similar style to be active and constantly applying pressure to the opposition. They continue to get chances and results and it’s the one line you can’t break up. 

Cowan’s electrifying play has helped create some depth scoring and a bottom-six for a team that can be competitive. Which is an area where they haven’t had any real consistency in the past. 

Everyone’s Taking Note of Cowan

Head coach Jim Hiller has been impressed with Cowan’s play up until this point. His comments post-game against the New York Islanders reflected that as he applauded his confidence, skating, determination and the way that he’s leading by example. In addition, he really likes his path and mental state of how he continues to battle and win every battle any way that he can. 

The trajectory that Hiller speaks of, in both how he composes himself and with his on-ice play, coincides with each other. He has always been that kind of player that has the flashes of skill but the confidence, work ethic and drive to constantly be a factor, hound pucks and be a pest in the offensive zone continues to stand out. That has been the scouting report, from the draft until now and he hasn’t strayed away from what makes him successful. 

Every game so far, Cowan has elevated his play. He has a full season under his belt and despite some hiccups last season, he learned from them. He added some more hardware to his resume as he was an essential player for the Toronto Marlies to secure the American Hockey League Championship and you saw a bit of everything; the playmaking, the tenacity and compete level. Now, at the start of his second season, Cowan is showing more growth and poise in his game.

With his surprise early on in the season, Cowan continues to turn heads in a depth role and is excelling. While many would expect him to challenge for a spot further up on the roster, keeping him on the third line is probably the best course of action for him. 

That isn’t to say, if Hiller does need to change things up, he can easily turn to Cowan as a player that he can trust and rely on to get the job done.