The Toronto Maple Leafs Can't Get Out of Their Own Way, Blow It with Cowan

The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially sent Easton Cowan back to junior and with him any hope that there are still competent people running this organization. Not only did they make the mistake of sending back their top prospect when he's needed on the NHL team, but they didn't even give him a fair chance to make the team in the first place.

The Toronto Maple Leafs greatest weakness is their depth scoring. Their second greatest weakness is that they have not taken a player who wasn't drafted in the top ten and turned him into a star since Tomas Kaberle.

Easton Cowan would address both issues.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs to pass on a player with elite skills, who could play in their lineup at the league minimum, is extremely stupid.

That they would do so while dressing players that are guaranteed to help them less than Cowan would have (Lorentz, Pacioretty, Kampf, Jarnrkok, Reaves) would almost be hilarious if I wasn't so sick of this team shooting itself in the foot. (all stats naturalstattrick.com).

Easton Cowan should be in the NHL and on the Toronto Maple Leafs

To those saying he isn't ready, that is what everyone says when a player gets cut. They simply believe that NHL coaches do not make mistakes and no one watches enough pre-season to say for sure anyways. This is wrong.

Cowan is ready. I know this because there are countless examples of players doing what he did in the OHL and then playing the next season in the NHL, Mitch Marner among them.

I also know he's ready because he played in pre-season games and looked better than most other players on the ice. I also know that almost all players with Cowan's level of talent can play in the NHL at 19, but most don't have his maturity or his tenacity.

I also know he's ready because while I was watching the games, it was very clear that he was better, faster and more useful than Max Pacioretty, who was gifted a spot on the team he didn't earn and shouldn't have gotten.

Finally, I know he is ready because he put up great stats during the pre-season, something that would be impossible if he wasn't.

One problem with Cowan's camp was that Craig Berube didn't put him in the best position to succeed. His most common linemate was 4th liner Steven Lorentz, but in minutes without Lorentz Easton Cowan had a 71% Expected Goals rating. (Pacioretty's most common linemate was John Tavares).

Cowan also played one of his games partnered with Ryan Reaves for much of the night and they were absolutely demolished, which is par for the course whenever the worst player in the NHL is on the ice, but even including his minutes with Lorentz, if you take away his Reeves minutes, Cowan was over 50% xGoals.

Easton Cowan, Pre-Season stats when on the ice with Steven Lorentz: 14:22 minutes, 41% Puck Possession, 38% shots, 30% scoring chances, 27% Expected Goals.

Easton Cowan Pre-Season stats when on the ice with Max Domi: 12:00 minutes, 58% Puck Possession, 56% shots, 69% scoring chances, 80% Expected Goals.

It's almost as if playing him with other NHL players and not fourth liners is the key to success. Who would have thought?

Cowan is not only ready for the NHL, but sending him back to Junior is dumb for another reason: He can't play in the AHL and there is nothing for him to learn riding a bus to play in a league he has already done everything it's possible to do in.

So to sum up; He's ready to play and contribute, he isn't going to develop further in junior hockey, and the team could use someone with his salary and skill combination. The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a terrible mistake, and like so many that they have made lately, it is self-inflicted.