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Maple Leafs Add Roadblocks for Key Prospect

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made it tougher for Easton Cowan to earn a role on the NHL roster.

Nick Horwat

Sep 25, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan (53) skates with the puck against the Ottawa Senators during overtime at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan (53) skates with the puck against the Ottawa Senators during overtime at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been a busy team the last few days by singing three players to a variety of deals. In quick succession, the Maple Leafs re-signed young forward Nick Robertson, signed veteran forward Max Pacioretty to a professional tryout, and officially announced the signing of defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.

Keeping Robertson around and adding Pacioretty was a priority for the Maple Leafs, and bolstered their forward group, but it added new roadblocks for a key prospect.

Easton Cowan is one of the Maple Leafs top prospects and appears ready for the jump to the NHL. He scored 96 points (34G-62A) in 54 games during the 2023-24 season with the OHL’s London Knights.

After an outstanding regular season, Cowan helped lead the Knights to an OHL championship and Memorial Cup Final appearance with 34 points (10G-24A) in 18 playoff games.

Despite the productivity and skillset, the Maple Leafs may have just added too much of a logjam for Cowan to make it through.

“The numbers game has gotten more difficult for Easton Cowan,” Chris Johnston said on Sports Center with Jay Onrait. “There is more bodies in play, more players with experience ahead of Cowan.”

The Maple Leafs didn’t make much of an effort to free up roster spots over the summer. They entered the offseason possibly considering a trade for Mitch Marner, but he was never moved. Pacioretty joins on a PTO and is expected to sign a full deal before the start of the season.

Stanley Cup champion Steven Lorentz is also heading to Toronto on a PTO, giving Cowan a ton of names to fight through for a roster spot. Despite the roadblocks, Johnston points out that they’ve been in this position before.

“Last year in training camp, the Leafs had a player in Fraser Minten that had a strong camp and was in the same situation and Cowan,” Johnston said. “At the end of training camp, the Leafs traded away Sam Lafferty to the Vancouver Canucks in order to create a roster spot.”

Minten only lasted four games with the Maple Leafs before being sent back to his junior team, but he earned his NHL role.

Cowan will have to hope for a similar fate. He’ll need to fight his way into the lineup and prove he’s worthy of a spot in the NHL. If he can’t make it on the Maple Leafs roster, he will have to head back to the Knights and the OHL.

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Nick Horwat

NICK HORWAT

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