One of the biggest questions heading into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025 training camp was whether Easton Cowan would prove he was ready for the NHL. It appears the answer to that question is an emphatic yes, according to David Alter.
More than a week before the Maple Leafs open their 2025-26 regular season at home against the Montreal Canadiens, Cowan practiced on the club’s fourth line alongside veterans Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton. Forwards Nick Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, and Michael Pezzetta were all slotted behind Cowan as extras, a clear sign of where the rookie stands on the depth chart.
While Toronto head coach Craig Berube didn’t outright declare Cowan had made the team, he cautioned that things could change between now and the start of the regular season. It’s hard to blame him, as there are still two preseason games remaining, and Cowan is sure to play in at least one, if not both of them. However, the most evident sign that Toronto’s first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft was finding a way onto the team was when he pointed out that he had been a fourth-liner before.
This is a crucial part of Cowan’s story. The selection of Cowan was seen as a major reach by many scouts and analysts at the time. With just 20 goals and 33 assists in 68 games for the London Knights in the 2022-23 season, his numbers weren’t considered elite for a first-round talent. But what many didn’t know was that Cowan was playing a limited, bottom-six forward role when he first joined the Knights, following a stint in Junior ‘A’. That experience seems to be serving the player known as ‘Cowboy’ well, as he’s now destined to begin his NHL career in a similar role.
“He’s mentioned that to me that that’s how he got into the league (OHL) by playing a certain way,” Berube said of Cowan. “I’ve asked him to do that here and so far he’s done that for me.”
For many skilled junior players, one of the biggest challenges to overcome is figuring out what type of player they will be in the NHL. In some cases, players struggle when they are used to being a star at another level and are then asked to play a different role in the professional ranks. But since Cowan started his junior career as a fourth-liner, his transition to a defensive role is not a difficult ask.
This doesn’t mean he can’t be a prolific scorer in the NHL someday, but when he makes the jump to the NHL, which appears to be imminent, it will be in more of a defensive role. This will ensure he can handle the rigors of the NHL from the onset. Cowan, the reigning Memorial Cup MVP, had 69 points in 46 games with the Knights last season. He probably would have been better served in the American Hockey League, but because he was 19 years old, he was not eligible for the AHL.
The Memorial Cup MVP award is one of the most prestigious individual honors in Canadian junior hockey, and Cowan picked up the same hardware that recently departed Maple Leaf, Mitch Marner, won with the Knights nine years ago. It remains to be seen if Cowan can have the same impact as Marner has had in the NHL, but Toronto is going to need offense, and developing Cowan is certainly one of the ways they could get it.
The worst thing the Maple Leafs could do is rush him along. And that’s not what they are going to do. There’s a mutual understanding that if Cowan makes the jump, he’s going to have to be a 200-foot player that can keep up defensively. Playing alongside veterans like Laughton and Lorentz will certainly help him acclimate to the speed and intensity of the professional game.