Easton Cowan: Toronto Maple Leafs' New Hope or Future Star?

Hey everyone, it’s been a long hiatus here! I haven’t written in a minute, but as a quick life update, I have officially (knock on wood – I passed my final exams) finished my undergraduate degree!

It’s good to be back in the swing of things and while we’re still in the dog days of summer waiting for Brad Treliving to awake us from our slumber to the news of a big name acquisition to fill the hole in the top-six, what better time than now to talk about a player who’s been floated around as a potential internal option.

I am, of course, talking about London Knights phenom Easton Cowan.

It’s no surprise that Leafs fans are over the moon with the idea of the 20-year-old Strathoy-born winger coming into camp and grabbing that lost top-six spot by the horns. After all, the speedy forward has amassed some gaudy point totals in his OHL career, with a 96-point campaign in the 2023–24 season, two WJC appearances for Canada, a Memorial Cup, two two-time OHL Champions, OHL MVP, OHL Playoff MVP… there’s hype and for good reason.

The question now is, do I believe that Easton Cowan has a chance to make the Leafs out of camp, and if so, how much of a chance does he have?

Don’t rule it out

I wouldn’t rule out Easton Cowan making the Leafs out of camp. There are aspects to his game that could translate well, that fit Toronto’s weaknesses.

Speed

Cowan is a speedy skater who gets from Point A to B in a hurry. I wouldn’t call the skating elite by any means, but on a Leafs team that’s often been criticized for their lack of foot speed, he will stand out on the ice in that aspect. While Dakota Joshua and Nicholas Roy are quality bottom-six players, neither really improves Toronto’s need for more pace and urgency.

Playdriving

Cowan is also always active for London with the puck on entries and exits, and this makes him someone who could fit into Toronto’s middle-six well. Toronto has really found it difficult to create offence and generate positive momentum from their end to the opponent’s end when Matthews and Nylander aren’t on the ice, so Cowan having the experience and confidence to potentially fill that secondary play-driving role could be huge.

Two-Way Play

Cowan is an edgy player who isn’t afraid to muck it up, and his speed and stick checking allow him to be an effective defensive player, especially on the penalty kill. With Marner’s departure and rumours of Kampf and Jarnkrok potentially getting jettisoned for cap space, Cowan’s ability to turn defence into offence shorthanded is another check under his box.

He might not be ready

Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to Cowan’s game that will make an immediate NHL transition harder.

Decision Making

Cowan hasn’t suffered with this as much on a powerhouse London team, but at both the WJC and Leafs development camp, the decision-making has been less than stellar. Tons of moments where he tries to hold the puck for far too long, as the space around him closes up. He has an array of moves, but his edgework isn’t elite enough to shake pros, and he’ll find himself turning the puck over in bad spots. He’s clearly a kid with a ton of confidence who relishes being the guy who stirs the straw for his team, but at higher levels, the pace of play may be too much for him to execute consistently.

Contact Balance

The contact balance just isn’t quite there for Cowan. Against stronger and faster teams, he’ll find himself blasted into the boards and easily removed from the puck. He’s not a Knies who had the refined physical frame to compete with NHL strength out of the gate, he’s a lighter frame who has shown over the last two years that he has difficulty handling bigger and stronger players in the offensive zone.

Consistency

I first fell in love with Cowan in his draft year on the back of a great second half of the season, where his incessant motor allowed him to be a super effective forechecker and flashes of a blooming offensive arsenal. Unfortunately, as his offensive skillset has taken off, that motor has died down. Less board battle involvements, less puck battles won… his support game has fallen off slowly as he transitioned into a focal point of London’s offence. That won’t be good enough if he wants to make the team and stick in the lineup.

Overall

All in all, Cowan is an exciting player with an exciting future within the Leafs organization. I wouldn’t be shocked if Toronto opted to give him a nine-game trial to start the year, but I’m not confident that his game is well-rounded and developed enough for him to be an everyday NHLer by this season.

His decision making, contact balance and attention to detail in his supporting game will all need some real refining in the AHL before he can be a consistent contributor at the NHL level. There’s no shame in that. Knies didn’t join the Leafs until the end of his age-20 season, which is the year Cowan is headed into this year.

Exercise some patience, temper the expectations with the 5’11 London Knight, and I think he could become a good player for Toronto in the long haul.