Maple Leafs' performance raises concerns, but Easton Cowan offers hope for the future

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-2 against the Washington Capitals on Friday night, continuing their early-season struggles. 

Yet, there's finally reason for optimism — the first in quite a while — and it’s Easton Cowan who’s leading the charge. On a team that was urgently seeking offensive answers, Cowan has inserted himself into the top six without looking inferior.

That a rookie is starting to generate high-danger chances naturally is already news. But he also looks comfortable on the second line, giving Craig Berube a resource he might not have expected. He has seven points in 16 games, but this stat does not capture other ways he influences the game: his reading of the play, timing for attacking space and budding chemistry with his linemates. Toronto needed a top-six winger and has found one without shedding assets or mortgaging the future.

How Easton Cowan changes the Maple Leafs' competitive landscape

Cowan's level is helping the pieces fall into place around him. With that line now stabilized, the front office can focus on the rest of the roster. Moving expendable contracts, adjusting roles, rebalancing the bottom six.

The notion that Max Domi could become dispensable is not a gratuitous stunt. It is a consequence of the offense no longer relying on stopgaps. Having already moved on from David Kampf, the front office may use that same rationale to reassess the roles of Matias Maccelli or Calle Jarnkrok. Moves like that would open up the cap space needed to fill the holes in their roster.

The most valuable thing is that his impact does not depend on numbers or any streak of percentages. Cowan is simply winning his duels, creating mismatches and pushing possessions that end near the crease. 

Toronto did not expect to have a rookie who already produces quality minutes, but it is a more than pleasant surprise. His emergence raises the competitive ceiling, and there was no need to affect the cap.

Cowan is a reason to be excited.