Top NHL insider says Leafs prospect Cowan has good shot at making club this season
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
National Hockey League insider Mike Johnson says Toronto Maple Leafs prospect phenom Easton Cowan has a chance to make the club this season if he can show the club he can play defence.
Cowan, who was drafted 28th overall by the Leafs in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, has another year of junior eligibility, which would see him return to the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights should he not make the Leafs out of training camp.
With the Knights last season, Cowan strung together an amazing 42-game point streak that ended in the playoffs. The OHL record stands at 55 games, set by Cornwall Royals forward and former Leafs captain Doug Gilmour in 1982-83.
Johnson, himself a former Leaf who works as an analyst with Sportsnet, believes there is an outside chance Cowan cracks the Leafs lineup this season coming off a season in which he was the OHL's regular season and playoff MVP.
Johnson, himself a former Leaf who works as an analyst with Sportsnet, believes there is an outside chance Cowan cracks the Leafs lineup this season coming off a season in which he was the OHL's regular season and playoff MVP.
«You cannot deny that he had just an exceptional year last year. Everyone talks about the energy he plays with and the pace to his game. If he can his speed. I think that's the one thing the Leafs, as good as they are, they don't have the fastest players. They play fast and they're good with the puck, but they don't have a bunch of fast, fast skaters.
The key, Johnson said, will be his ability to play on the defensive side of the puck.
"If he can bring pace, be reliable, bring energy, the offence will be there eventually because he is a good player,» Johnson said during an interview on What's Up 1050. «That will give him a chance to make it as long as he can show he can play defence," said Johnson.
"The biggest challenge for young players is getting the coach to trust you can play defense. If he trusts you can -- and Nick Robertson sort of fell victim to this because coaches didn't trust he could play in his own end very well -- and if he can show that, then he can buy himself time to get more experience and more offense."
"The biggest challenge for young players is getting the coach to trust you can play defense. If he trusts you can -- and Nick Robertson sort of fell victim to this because coaches didn't trust he could play in his own end very well -- and if he can show that, then he can buy himself time to get more experience and more offense."
Johnson said Cowan could slot in as the club's third-line centre or as an option on the wing. Cowan scored 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games for the Knights last season and added 34 points in 18 playoff games as the Knights narrowly missed winning the Memorial Cup title.
Source: HockeyDB
Easton Cowan Statistics
Easton Cowan Statistics
| POLL | ||
5 SEPTEMBRE | 48 ANSWERS Top NHL insider says Leafs prospect Cowan has good shot at making club this season Do you think Easton Cowan will make the Maple Leafs this season? | ||
| Yes | 36 | 75 % |
| No | 12 | 25 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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