Auston Matthews just gave a glowing endorsement of Easton Cowan and his reaction on playing alongside him is something that will make Mitch Marner feel jaded.
The Maple Leafs came into their Saturday night game against the Edmonton Oilers on a three-game win streak and just trying to weather Connor McDavid's torrid start to the season. But they came away with a decisive 7-2 win off the backs of a full team effort from top to bottom.
A huge part of that was Easton Cowan's performance, as he put up another fantastic two-way performance and nearly had another multi-point night had the NHL not given the first goal of the game as an own goal to Edmonton.
He has 12 points, is a plus-3, has 11 hits, 7 blocks, and ranks third on the team alongside Colton Sissons with an average of 1.52 (TK/60 - takeaways per 60 mins).
Auston Matthews raves about Easton Cowan as a line-mate
His two-way play has been unbelievable and it's caught the attention of the man who matters most - the captain.
Matthews had nothing but praise and glowing reviews on Cowan's development and success so far this season, and pointed to how quickly he went from a rookie to looking like a seasoned vet in no time:
He's impressive. He's such a smart player. You just see his evolution over the last couple of years. He's gotten bigger, stronger, faster. His IQ has been there, his skill has been there. He's taken some big steps.
But it was what he said about playing with Cowan that is sure to make his former teammate Mitch Marner angry because Matthews just may have made his time with the Maple Leafs obsolete:
I really love playing with him. Super, super easy guy to play with, very smart. Can make plays all over the ice, but he's also defensively very responsible and you can kind of see the maturity that's grown in his game too.
Can't really recall the last time Matthews gushed about Marner like that, or really anyone as of late - that's a rejuvenated captain.
Who needs Mitchy when you have a Cowboy?
Knowing that he has the playmaking, creativity, and defensive help that Marner once gave him, it feels like we can firmly end any discussions going forward and Matthews has just given his stamp of approval for Cowan to be a top-line star.
Now, is Cowan going to hit 100+ points like Marner? I mean sure, there's potential. But if he is able to settle into a 65-70 point player with elite defensive metrics and a bit of an edge to him then it's the perfect support piece for Matthews and an incredible turnaround in only a year's time.
Craig Berube never really wanted to give Cowan a shot alongside Matthews (or any of the stars frankly) and it caused a lot of issues. Imagine if he had been able to get this chance last year? Perhaps the fan sentiment wouldn't have been so hostile in spite of a miserable year - there's at least that little bright spot to have looked towards.
But now Jim Hiller is not only trusting him as a top-six forward, but giving him the reins to play alongside the captain.
From the looks of it, the two are finding some impressive chemistry and Matthews may have just admitted that he found his replacement for Mitch Marner - permanently.
Do you think Easton Cowan is going to be the Maple Leafs' replacement for Mitch Marner?
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