When the Toronto Maple Leafs made Easton Cowan a first-round pick in 2023, there was some skepticism about the club taking him so high in the draft.
Yes, he showed he could be a game-changer with the London Knights. But not everyone was convinced that he had the potential to become a solid NHL first-rounder.
One of Cowan’s biggest doubters, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, has had to backtrack on his original assessment.
In a recent piece, Wheeler admitted that he was wrong about Cowan. In the lead-up to the 2023 NHL Draft, the notable pundit ranked Cowan 97th. The Maple Leafs ended up taking him 28th.
However, Cowan’s strong play as a 20-year-old in the NHL has led Wheeler to admit his mistake.
“Several teams I spoke to thought the Maple Leafs took him early when they drafted him at the end of the first round in 2023. But in hindsight, Wes Clark picked him more or less exactly where he belonged.”
Wheeler credits Cowan’s work ethic as the main reason for his development into a solid NHL forward. His development has been such that Cowan should get a good chance to become a bona fide top-six forward next season.
That situation prompted Wheeler to declare that Cowan really is a first-round pick.
“And while his game can still tunnel vision at times, he has looked like a first-rounder since the very first games he played post-draft back in London.”
Maple Leafs have to give Cowan top-six minutes this upcoming season
Playing time is one of the most limited commodities in the NHL. There is a finite number of minutes in each game, with players only able to get so much ice time.
Despite the evident restrictions, Jim Hiller cannot afford to let Easton Cowan languish in a bottom-six role. Wheeler clearly outlined that Cowan is a legit first-round pick. His play on the ice has shown plenty of potential.
So, why not give him a real shot to play in the top six?
Would a line of, say, Gavin McKenna, John Tavares, and Easton Cowan be a crazy thing? Two high-end kids playing with a responsible older brother would make a ton of sense for the team.
Of course, there will be questions about Cowan displacing William Nylander in the top six. But let’s face it, Nylander has a penchant for disappearing for long stretches. So, if Nylander goes on one of his magical absences, why not plug Cowan into the top six?
After all, the last thing Hiller could do is keep his lines cast in stone. Depending on the circumstances of games, it would be worth running with the experiment.
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