The Top 5 Calder Candidates for the 2024-25 NHL Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs Option

Easton Cowan was drafted 28th overall by the Leafs last year.

If the draft was re-done today, he'd be a top-ten pick, easily.

Cowan scored 96 points in 54 games and would have won the OHL scoring title if he didn't miss 12 games. He scored at a higher rate than the eventual league leader.

Cowan scored 68 points over a scoring streak that lasted 36 games, something no OHL player has done since 1995.

He was the OHL's MVP. He led the OHL playoffs in scoring, and his London Knights won the OHL Championship.

Other winners of the OHL Most Outstanding Player Award include: Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid.

I'm not saying that Easton Cowan is on their level, but he's definitely a lot closer than the day he was drafted.

A look at the Leafs potential roster next season makes it reasonable to assume that Cowan will be on it. The potential superstar is too young to play in the AHL and there is nothing left for him to accomplish in junior.

Mitch Marner played an extra year in the OHL after being drafted and that was also when he won the MVP. Cowan being a Calder Caliber Player in 2024 will evelate the Leafs to something like the best team in hockey.

If Celebrini is the favorite, Cowan is the best bet though because unlike every other player on this list, he's going to play behind a whole bunch of elite players and likely be sheltered quite a bit.

Players like Michkov and Celebrini, on the other hand, have no where to hide on their respective rosters.