Easton Cowan has been a solid depth piece for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season and was a surprise to make the team right out of juniors, but as of late has struggled to produce points, and doesn't look as noticeable as he has the first half of the season.
Head coach Craig Berube decided to scratch Easton Cowan during Saturday night's win against the Vancouver Canucks as William Nylander re-entered the lineup. Head coach Craig Berube had some criticism of Cowan's game as of late.
Craig Berube's comments on Easton Cowan's game as of late
"Cowan just needs a little reset here. To me, I think he's lost a little bit of his swagger. That's a big part of his game, and I'm not seeing that right now from his game." Berube said pregame. The Leafs coaching staff has seen a noticeable drop off. Earlier in the season, there were flashes that Cowan could become a really good forward in the NHL, but we are not seeing these flashes as often as we did to begin the season.
This could be attributed to many different reasons, Berube mentioned "He may be worried about making mistakes and just little things like that that are affecting him and getting in the way of him being successful right now."
Why we have seen a dip in Cowan's game
I believe that Cowan's struggles go far beyond this. Cowan has struggled to stay within the Leafs lineup, and is getting far fewer chances with the Leafs top players. When Cowan was thriving early in the season, we saw him alongside John Tavares and William Nylander quite often. Playing with these two players makes it easier to generate offence, as the top finishers can do the hard work on their own. Cowan is now stuck on the fourth line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz when in the lineup. This line plays a completely different role in the Leafs lineup, and doesn't push for offence. It is hard to blame Berube for this, as he is trying anything to get the Maple Leafs winning, to get them within a playoff spot down the stretch. Putting Cowan in the top six for him to see growth is something the Maple Leafs can't afford at this stage of the season.
Time will tell if Cowan is back in the lineup on Monday as the Maple Leafs continue their western road trip against the Calgary Flames. Berube will likely keep the same lineup as the Maple Leafs have finally won a game after losing six straight for the first time since 2019.