Easton Cowan's next Maple Leafs contract takes an expensive twist

Easton Cowan's next contract could be quite the expensive one as he's currently playing at a pace that someone making $10M a year earns - and is only getting better.

One huge surprise this season for the Maple Leafs has been the performance of Easton Cowan. After a solid rookie season, he's blown past expectations as he has 10 points in 11 games and just put up his first career shorthanded goal on Tuesday.

He's killing penalties, he's a bulldog in the offensive zone, he's showing a great defensive game and with all the talk about Gavin McKenna - he's the young gun who seems to be running things.

Easton Cowan is playing way better than we ever expected this early

However he is going to need a new contract when his entry-level deal expires in a couple of years, and if he keeps playing at this pace then he's certainly going to be in for a gigantic pay raise. In fact, he's been playing like a guy who makes $10M a year:

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Cowan has been good in all facets of the ice and BenchRates has him contributing at a $9.9M pace. His combination of offensive prowess, forechecking, penalty killing, and ability to create chances are driving his price up, and as we saw last night, there was something special in Cowan's game:

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That goal was a shorthanded one at that, but it was his ability to look off Jet Greaves as a fake-out that was most impressive. He's getting a chance to kill penalties but is so dynamic that he can turn it into offense. All credit to Oliver Ekman-Larsson for his first pass to Cowan, but he managed to corral the puck, turn, and score.

He's also someone who leads the team in xGF% at 5v5, he leads the team in takeaways with five, and isn't going to fold easily. He's already earned Jim Hiller's trust in high-pressure situations, and the sophomore forward has already exceeded his expectations.

Cowan's massive growth is going to lead to a massive contract

He's kind of turned into a Swiss Army knife for the Maple Leafs and he is someone who can play anywhere in the lineup and contribute. He can use his defensive skills and relentless engine on the PK, cutting down lanes and using his elite stick work to disrupt passes.

Or he can be a PP guy on the wing who cycles the puck and fights down low for battles, and whether it's on the first line alongside Auston Matthews or beside Colton Sissons on the third line - he just fits.

But that's going to come at a big cost, as Cowan's an RFA in 2028-29, so an extension is coming before then. We've seen young players like Ryan Leonard and Tristan Luneau earn huge contracts for doing less than Cowan and Toronto can't risk waiting.

In this NHL landscape where young promising forwards are locked up to huge deals, Cowan should be the next. He can sign a long-term deal and while he may not be consistently worth $10M - he will earn at least half of that.

A seven-year, $56-million extension would give Cowan a handsome pay raise, keep him as a focal point for the next half decade, is still a very good deal considering the rising cap, and rewards Cowan for proving why he deserved to be drafted in the first round.

Will Easton Cowan keep up this pace? It's possible but even if he doesn't, he proved that the Maple Leafs drafted a stud who went from offensive dynamo to jack-of-all-trades.

And in today's NHL, that's going to cost you.

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