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Scenes from Leafs’ morning skate: Easton Cowan ruled out, Stolarz projected to start vs. Canadiens

Originally posted on TheLeafsnation | By Arun Srinivasan | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 12:08 PM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan will not be making his NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, head coach Craig Berube revealed.

Cowan was called up to the Maple Leafs’ roster earlier Wednesday morning, with Jacob Quillan sent down to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

“He’s up here with us, so we’re happy about that. We don’t want him sitting out, we want him playing. We chose tonight that he will not play,” Berube said of Cowan.

Craig Berube reveals that Easton Cowan won’t be playing tonight.

“We don’t want him sitting out, we want him playing. We chose tonight that he will not play.”

— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) October 8, 2025

Cowan was on the ice early ahead of the Maple Leafs’ optional morning skate, primarily working on his shooting. He stayed out late after practice with Sammy Blais and Philippe Myers, who will also be scratched Wednesday. It appeared that Cowan had secured his place in the lineup after the preseason slate ended, but Scott Laughton’s lower-body injury forced Berube to revamp his plans.

Calle Jarnkrok will operate as Toronto’s fourth-line right wing, alongside Steven Lorentz and Nicolas Roy. Jarnkrok was impressing during training camp, where his shot velocity and tenacity stood out throughout the preseason slate.

Stolarz is the projected starter for the Maple Leafs. Stolarz will receive the majority of starts to begin the year, while Joseph Woll remains on leave due to a personal matter.

Easton Cowan is on the ice early as the Leafs optional morning skate will get underway shortly. pic.twitter.com/Bs1h31FQV5

— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) October 8, 2025

Berube also lauded Nick Robertson for his scoring touch throughout the preseason. Robertson will start on the third line with Dakota Joshua and Max Domi.

“I think if you look at him during training camp, the effort and the ability to score a goal when we needed. He did, he scored goals throughout camp. His work ethic, he’s just a noticeable player. You know, he came in and worked extremely hard and played well, appreciated to be on the team,” Berube said of Robertson.

Morgan Rielly spoke about the importance of a strong start to the season, and what he’s looking for during the opener against the Canadiens.

“You want to try and have a good start, and I mean, at the end of the day, the team stuff really comes first,” Rielly said. “So the most important thing is that the structure, you know, the systems are in place and you execute within those and you’re playing to win the game more than anything. First thing from there, you just want to be ready, you know, that looks different for everyone and it’s Game 1 of hopefully 82, so you just want to have a good start, do the things you worked on during the summer and just kind of build on those things.”