The Toronto Maple Leafs will open their season with top prospect Easton Cowan will likely be in the lineup.
Cowan wasn’t on the Maple Leafs’ initial roster due to cap reasons, but he was called up once Toronto could place players on the IR. With Cowan making the team, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving sent a clear message to the forward prospect.
“He’s right there ready to play for us. We want to manage it appropriately,” Treliving said on Oct. 7. “If he’s going to be playing with us here, great. But if not, I want him playing.”
Cowan did skate as the 13th forward in practice, so whether or not he will be in the lineup on opening night is uncertain. He was on a line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz, but the injury to Laughton has the lines all rearranged.
But, as Treliving said, the GM wants Cowan playing, so given the fact he was recalled, he could very well be in the lineup on Wednesday.
Toronto opens its 2025-26 NHL season on Oct. 8 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Maple Leafs Coach Feels Cowan is an NHL Player
Cowan was in a roster battle all season long, but he did enough to earn a roster spot.
Before roster cuts were announced, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke to reporters and said Cowan was ready to play in the NHL.
“Yeah, I think he is,” Berube said on Oct. 5 when asked if Cowan is ready to play in the NHL. “We have decisions to make, but I think he showed us enough (to say) that he is ready. He has a motor on him. He impresses me with his motor. It is constant work, and he has a high IQ. I liked him a lot.”
In Cowan’s final preseason game, Berube was impressed with the prospect’s play.
“He did a lot of good things,” Berube added. “He maybe tried to do too much at times. But it is not from a lack of effort. He is trying to do things that he is good at. He did a lot of good things. Like everybody on the team, I thought the effort was really good tonight.”
Toronto selected Cowan 28th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Cowan Discusses Making Roster
As Cowan was likely to make the roster, he said it would be a dream come true.
In his first pro season, Cowan has done enough to impress the Maple Leafs coaching staff, which he was excited about.
“It would mean everything,” Cowan said. “That’s what you dream of as a kid. So yeah, we’ll see. I felt like throughout camp I got better and better each and every day. Obviously, the numbers weren’t there, but I felt like I played a good 200-foot game.
“I felt really good with my game and I know if I keep working in practice on my shot, eventually the chances will go in,” Cowan added. “So yeah, I felt like I had a really good preseason.”
Cowan could add some much-needed secondary scoring to the Maple Leafs’ lineup.
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