Easton Cowan has possibly made the Maple Leafs roster

It was never certain that Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan was going to make his NHL debut this season. He could have easily just taken a trip down to the Toronto Marlies and learned the professional game in the AHL, with eyes on a full-time role next season. But, it sure looks like he's going to be starting the season in the NHL just months after winning the Memorial Cup with the London Knights.

At practice on Wednesday morning, the Leafs were running through the lines as they normally do and as mentioned by The Athletic's Joshua Kloke, it sure seems like the lineup is taking shape. Is this what we will see October 8 against the Montreal Canadiens on the ice of the Scotiabank Arena? Probably.

There it is in all its glory. We all somewhat expected Max Domi to earn the job to be the third on the first line, and we have seen Bobby McMann stapled next to John Tavares and William Nylander throuhgout all of training camp. Even Matias Maccelli -- he needed a scoring role somewhere and next to Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy makes a whole lot of sense. And finally, the fourth-line duo of Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton was a lock.

It really was just the fourth-line right wing spot that was truly up for grabs up front and beyond experienced veterans like Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf, and ahead of the gritty Michael Pezzetta and the uncertain Nick Robertson, Easton Cowan has been plopped down there.

Now, this could be just assuming that head coach Craig Berube wants to run out his regular lines at practice until opening night in Toronto. But, we could imagine that Cowan is there as the player who has that spot right now. For the remaining two preseason games, those extra forwards could get their chance to show that they should make the team and then, we could see Berube swap out Cowan for one of the more experienced players.

No matter what, some players will need to be on the move. As it stands right now that lineup, full of its extras, puts the roster at 26 players (including the two netminders). At the very least, three players will need to be sent down to the AHL to make the roster compatable. Who will those players be? We have no clue but Cowan is the only player there that doesn't require to be placed on waivers to be demoted. That could be a factor.

Final rosters are due on Monday, October 6 at 5:00 p.m. The Leafs have until then to make their decisions.