Easton Cowan demanding more playoff hockey perfectly sets the new Toronto standard
Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Easton Cowan could have taken the spring and summer to reset, instead he wants more hockey and for a guy only 20 years old; he's setting the new standard in Toronto.
The Toronto Marlies are set to take the ice for their first game of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs against the Rochester Americans on Wednesday night and they are looking to make their mark and find themselves off to a hot start.
They certainly have a lot of firepower with the likes of Easton Cowan, Bo Groulx, Alex Nylander and William Villeneuve, and with Dennis Hildeby and Artur Ahktyamov in net — it could be a long playoff run for the Marlies.
Easton Cowan showing incredible maturity after joining Marlies for Calder Cup push
Adding Cowan is certainly a coup for the team considering his solid start to his NHL career, and it really was up in the air whether or not he would join the team, but clearly wanted to keep getting reps in wherever he could.
It's a great sign of maturity considering he didn't need to join them at all:
I mean, yeah, I'd love to play more hockey. But it's not my decision. Whatever the management thinks is right, I'll agree with them.
It was actually up to the management core to decide whether or not it would behoove Cowan to get more reps however with Ryan Hardy and Brandon Pridham currently running things — that really wasn't going to be an issue:
I think we both decided it was the right move for my development, and I went along with it, and obviously excited to play some hockey.
Well his development went pretty well all things considered and despite Craig Berube sitting him for nearly a month, he showed exactly why there was so much excitement surrounding him.
Cowan, 20, had 29 points in 66 games and while it's not mind-blowing numbers, it also took him a little bit to acclimate and find a solid spot in the lineup. It wasn't just the offensive side that was so impressive though.
Why Easton Cowan demands your attention as a Maple Leafs fan
He was a beast on the ice and felt like he needed to set the tone whenever he could. He regretted not helping out Auston Matthews sooner, then decided to take on one of the biggest guys in the NHL as a test.
At 20 years old he took responsibility for a guy he's spent 60-odd games with meanwhile players like William Nylander and Morgan Rielly just stood idly by and didn't really respond afterwards.
Cowan ended up also getting into a bit of a feisty affair with Mikey Anderson towards the end of the season, and instead of being pushed around showed incredible poise by fighting back without going overboard.
It's rare that you have someone with such immense talent as well as a gritty and sometimes aggravating edge. It's reminiscent of Darcy Tucker in the early 2000's or dare I say — Brad Marchand.
People have to remember this is a player who had the unofficial OHL point-streak record, and had over 170 points over his last two seasons with London; he's that guy.
While he looks forward to getting more reps and trying to help the Marlies find their first Calder Cup since 2018, fans can also look forward to seeing Cowan in the lineup for a long time.
The Cowboy is now firmly in the saddle.
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