The Toronto Maple Leafs were going for it last season. It was the final year of Mitch Marner in Toronto. The club seemingly had everything it needed to make a deep playoff run. Even the new coach bump had paid off as the Leafs won the Atlantic Division.
When it came down to the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs were looking to cash in some of their chips for much-needed help. Toronto was willing to go all-in as revealed in the botched negotiations for Mikko Rantanen.
In that reported deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Maple Leafs were willing to pony up both Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan. The Hurricanes ultimately nixed the offer and went with the Dallas Stars’ offer.
Interestingly, the player they got for Rantanen from Dallas, Logan Stankoven, scored the game-winner against Toronto on Sunday night.
When the Maple Leafs moved on to their next target, they sent Minten to the Boston Bruins in the Brandon Carlo trade. Carlo hasn’t been awful for Toronto, but hasn’t been quite a shutdown blueliner for the Leafs.
Carlo has been a solid defense partner for Morgan Rielly, but again, he hasn’t been lights out. Minten, meanwhile, is slowly flourishing in Boston. In another ironic twist of fate, he got the insurance goal against Toronto on Saturday night.
That wasn’t an empty-netter. It was a shot that cleanly beat Dennis Hildeby. The goal ended any hopes of another dramatic Maple Leafs comeback.
As for Cowan, the Leafs had high hopes for him this season. He got a look on the top line with Auston Matthews. By the end of October, he was a healthy scratch. Now, he’s back down in the AHL.
Maple Leafs Should Have Traded Cowan instead of Minten
Cowan’s overall ceiling was more compelling to the Maple Leafs than Minten’s. Minten was a second-round pick who projected as a third-line center. He didn’t have overly significant size and lacked the skill set to become a legit top-six forward.
As for Cowan, he looked like a dynamic puck-moving winger who resembled Marner in many ways. He could have been the heir-apparent to the Maple Leafs’ top prospect status. From his showing in training camp in the preseason, he was ready for showtime.
Well, that didn’t go very well. Despite getting his first NHL goal a couple of weeks ago, Cowan didn’t seem quite ready for the NHL. Perhaps the Leafs rushed him to see what they had in him. Unfortunately, the outcome fell far short of expectations.
Toronto Could Use Minten Now Instead of Cowan
Given the way things are going for Toronto, they could have used Minten now instead of Cowan. The Leafs need center depth, particularly with players like Max Domi failing to hold down such a role.
The return of Scott Laughton has gone a long way toward stabilizing the situation. The Maple Leafs now have Matthews, John Tavares, Nic Roy, and Scott Laughton down the middle. That’s not bad. But when looking at the depth beyond that, it’s frightening.
Having Minten would have given the Maple Leafs much more leeway to handle the unusually high number of injuries early in the season.
Well, it’s too late to turn back the clock. The Leafs seemingly held onto the wrong prospect. The good news is that there’s still time for Cowan to prove everyone wrong.
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