Craig Berube had an interesting postgame media availability as the Toronto Maple Leafs closed out their season with a 3-1 lead of the hands of the Ottawa Senators.
The Maple Leafs head coach touched on many players and their season as a whole, but Easton Cowan stood out in particular with what the Maple Leafs staff see what's best fit for him moving forward. Firstly, Berube touched upon his AHL eligibility and sending him down to the Marlies for their playoff run beginning this weekend against the Laval Rocket.
Craig Berube talks about Easton Cowan's development with Maple Leafs
He then later discussed his progression from Game 1 to 82 and how he matured and grew as a player in all facets of the game.
"It is definitely a benefit for him to play in the playoffs, right? You can look at the league and dissect it any way you want, but it is a good league. It is a good experience for him. Good future ahead of him. He has a great IQ. He has ice water in his veins. He is a worker. There is a lot of upside there."
Craig Berube summed it all up perfectly towards the end of the media availability, speaking on what the next steps could look like for Cowan's future.
"I think he made strides this year, for sure. I thought he hit a wall before the Olympic break. That is normal for a young kid like that in his first year in the NHL, with the schedule and how it was condensed. The next level is learning how to finish at this level. Keep working on the details of the game, the defensive side of the game, doing all of the right things, and managing the game. When young kids come in, it’s all about scoring, and that is normal. They want to produce. They did it in junior or college. They’re scorers or playmakers. And he is going to be a scorer or a playmaker at this level. How high? I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see, but he has to learn to score goals at this level."
Easton Cowan had an impressive season all around. The Maple Leafs went on a string of games in the middle of the season and post-Olympic break, where they opted for a veteran presence lineup, which took away from Cowan's development. When the Maple Leafs understood their fate and decided to become sellers, that is when we truly saw Cowan's game develop. The London Knights product played vital minutes in the final stretch of the season and saw his reach the next level. He was no longer the small, skilled kid, but rather a player who has a lot of heart and is willing to do anything to see his team win.
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