Easton Cowan Outlines What He Must Do to Earn Spot on Maple Leafs Roster
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan explained what he needs to do in order to secure a roster spot next season after the end of his incredible junior career.
Easton Cowan lays out what he needs to do to make Maple Leafs roster
For Cowan, he believes he's ready to take that next step:
Every kid in my situation would probably say [the goal is] to make the NHL, and that's definitely my goal.
I mean, I feel like I'm capable of doing that. I just got to keep getting bigger, keep getting faster, and keep getting stronger. It's just in my hands. I feel like I'm smart enough and able to play, but obviously, I got to get bigger and that's just in my hands.
I'll take advantage of that this summer training in London, training a bit in Toronto too. It'll help me out a lot and I'm just super excited for camp, and I'll be ready for it for sure.
Those words should be music to not only Leafs fans ears, but for Craig Berube, who should already be excited about what Cowan has to offer at both ends of the ice.
Plus, he feels like he can handle the pressure of Toronto's relentless media presence, and his time with London as the focal point has prepared him for the worst:
I mean, ever since I got drafted here, I said London's kind of like the Toronto of the OHL.
A lot of people love you, and then there's a lot of people who hate you. It's been good for me to kind of get that under my belt, the experience here, and I'll just keep doing my thing.
I know people are going to love me or people are going to hate me, and that's just how the world is these days, so I'll just keep doing my thing, and that's playing hockey and keep getting better and keep working hard. - Easton Cowan
What does this mean then for the Leafs and Cowan going forward?
Easton's ready, but will he find a spot?
While it's all looking like Cowan is going to have a spot next season, it does all depend on what the Maple Leafs decide to do in free agency.
If they make a big splash and sign a free agent like
Sam Bennett or
Nikolaj Ehlers, it could be good news for Cowan because he needs to fill the bottom-six role the team will inevitably have.
But if they decide to fill the lineup with role players and cheaper veteran options, then it might lead to his path being murkier than first anticipated.
It also depends on his training camp, and while he's motivated, there's nothing guaranteed, though Toronto is willing to give their young players a shot (as we saw with
Fraser Minten).
Wherever he ends up though, he's going to be impactful.
Cowan had 218 points over the last three years with London, and has won OHL MVP, playoff MVP, an OHL Championship and a Memorial Cup; he's as accomplished as anyone.
So Toronto can rest easy knowing that Cowan is ready to compete, and that even if they need to wait just a bit longer, there's no doubt he's going to come out ready to show everyone what a 28th overall pick can do.
Previously on HockeyPatrol
POLL |
JUIN 6 | 467 ANSWERS Easton Cowan Outlines What He Must Do to Earn Spot on Maple Leafs Roster Do you think Easton Cowan will make the Maple Leafs roster next season? |
Yes | 382 | 81.8 % |
No | 85 | 18.2 % |
List of polls |