Toronto Maple Leafs: Easton Cowan Is Attracting Attention

The Toronto Maple Leafs preseason is underway, and with it comes the opportunity to make a first impression. After a long offseason fans are eager to see the team’s new free-agent additions, young prospects, or recent draft picks.

One such case is recent first-round draft pick Easton Cowan. Many wondered if the Toronto Maple Leafs reached when they selected him 28th overall during the NHL Draft in June.

Cowan was not expected to go in the first round, but the Leafs liked what they saw.

Preseason results should be taken cautiously, but Cowan is attracting attention for his play thus far. Borrowing a football analogy he has “flashed”.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Easton Cowan Is Attracting Attention

The Toronto Maple Leafs first two preseason games gave fans their first chance to see newcomers like Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg,  and Max Domi.

Draft picks like Cowan, Fraser Minten, and Matthew Knies offer extra excitement for a fan base. It’s like seeing a shiny, new toy for the first time and imagining the possibilities of what the future might hold.

At the end of last season, Knies tantalized the organization with his potential. Now, Cowan has arguably been the Leafs biggest story of the early preseason games.

So much so, that head coach Sheldon Keefe has thrown flowers Cowan’s way, enthusing over his performance.

Cowan has demonstrated speed and a quick release on a goal from the slot, and you can’t help but notice him when he is on the ice, a significant compliment.

Usually, a young teenage draft pick, even a first-round one, gets a quick preseason cameo for a game and is returned to junior. Cowan has earned a prolonged look.

His time with the Leafs has been extended for at least another preseason game, and he was added to the main group of players for a recent practice.

The question becomes, what should the Toronto Maple Leafs do if he continues his exceptional play?

It has become common practice in professional sports to not use up a year of service time on a young player’s contract to keep them from reaching free agency earlier, potentially keeping them with the organization longer.

Training camp competition is supposed to identify the best players that give a team its best chance of winning, but that is not always how it works.

It is not easy to decide the best path for a teenager’s future. They need to demonstrate they have the talent and maturity to handle professional sports.

Cowan deserves to keep playing, but the Leafs are loaded at forward. On the other hand, they are a team trying to win the Cup that is currently over the salary cap and having an effective player making the league minimum is exactly what they need.

Playing a prominent role is the only way he should stay with the team.

Unless he plays meaningful minutes on the top three lines, it makes no sense to keep him. There are too many stars playing forward for the Leafs that would take away from his development.

The best option is his eventual return to junior, where he can play in all situations, which is unlikely to happen with the Leafs.

In the meantime, the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans can enjoy the unveiling of their shiny, new toy for a few more games and take solace in the fact that they might have found a gem with their off-the-board first-round pick.