Toronto Maple Leafs: Unlocking Easton Cowan’s potential in the NHL

When Easton Cowan was playing on the third or fourth lines during the Toronto Maple Leafs preseason, I didn’t think it made much sense. Why would Craig Berube use a young, offensive weapon on a line that won’t create much offence? It felt like another Nick Robertson situation, where the player is not put in a position to succeed and ends up punished for it.

Then, when he was scratched for the first two games, I was even more confused. There is no use having Cowan on the NHL roster, sitting in the press box instead of playing every game in the AHL. Again, the Leafs were not putting Cowan in a spot with any opportunity to grow. 

But now that Cowan has played two games, both on the top line, the plan is starting to make sense. Here are some thoughts on Cowan’s game so far, plus opinions on how the Leafs are helping him.

Cowan’s game

Through two games, it’s clear as day that this version of Cowan is more mature and ready for the NHL than last year’s. At 2024 training camp, Cowan looked small, indecisive, and unwilling to use his offensive game to create. He looked scared, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. He was young and had never played in a league above the OHL.

But this year, he seems ready to play against grown men. He feels bigger, using his body more and not getting bounced off of pucks as easily. But the most critical growth in Cowan’s game is his willingness to be himself. With young guys, especially those who are offensively talented, it’s hard to be themselves. Much of the focus when  breaking  into the league is on the physicality, so new players try way  too hard to be imposing rather than tailor their game to make it work in the NHL.

Cowan is doing the things he did in junior. He’s finding passing lanes, being a pest around the net, and using his feet to generate offence. In Cowan’s first game, Auston Matthews almost scored because of a backhand sauce from Cowan in the neutral zone that sprung him on a partial breakaway; he would not have made that play a year ago.

And he created Jake McCabe’s goal last night by stick-checking a Nashville defenceman in the corner. Cowan knows his size and knows he can’t bully people. But he has the skill to create turnovers and scoring chances, just like he did for his first NHL point. His focus has turned from changing his playstyle to honing it for the NHL. It takes a lot of maturity to make that adjustment, and Cowan is doing it.

Good development from the Leafs?

Like I said before, I wasn’t a fan of the Leafs handling of Cowan until Game 3. It stems from a bit of distrust regarding development, where I don’t think Toronto has historically done its young guys many favours. 

Nick Robertson, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, and even Fraser Minten were all victims in Toronto, so I have become a bit skeptical of their decision-making.

But I think they cracked the code with Cowan. Clearly, they saw a different version of the youngster at this year’s camp and thought he had a chance to make the team. That’s the first step, and he earned his chance to prove it during the preseason.

Throwing him in with the bottom-six seemed absurd to me, but I fully get it now. Cowan had to prove he could handle himself—not offensively—in the big leagues. Berube wasn’t looking for goals or assists; he was looking for NHL habits and decisions. 

To be honest, Cowan didn’t even look that great during the preseason, and I’d assume Berube thought similarly, as he held him out of Games 1 and 2. But he saw enough to give the kid a chance, and Cowan proved to the team he didn’t need to go to the AHL.

Then, when he gets his first chance to play, he gets to play with the offensive weapons. This frees Cowan to be himself, do what he does best, and not worry about the gritty bottom-six style he definitely doesn’t want to play.

Keep doing what you’re doing

Every party involved is doing this the right way, with Cowan playing well and the Leafs putting him in the right spots to succeed.

I don’t need to see him playing every single night, especially against bigger teams like the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning. But when Cowan gets in against some lighter opponents, he should absolutely stay stuck to Matthews and Matthew Knies. 

His first two games have earned him that right, and if he can stick there for a while, the Leafs have a good thing going. In the long run, the goal is for him to be a staple in the top-six. And Toronto is doing everything right in getting him to that point.