Maple Leafs need to keep Easton Cowan and give him a legitimate shot
If Brad Treliving feels the urge to include Easton Cowan in a trade this summer, the Maple Leafs general manager should resist it.
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Strongly.
The Leafs have to have some sort of hope for the future in regard to their prospects at forward, don't they?
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The cold reality is that Cowan, fresh off being named the most valuable player in the 2025 Memorial Cup after the London Knights beat the Medicine Hat Tigers in the final in Rimouski, Que., on Sunday night, stands alone in Toronto's prospect pool.
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The date of March 7 was pivotal for the Leafs as it related to its group of youngsters who could one day play in the National Hockey League.
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At the trade deadline, Treliving included centre Fraser Minten in a swap with the Boston Bruins to get defenceman Brandon Carlo and, when he acquired forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers, winger Nikita Grebenkin was part of the package that went to Philly.
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With Minten and Grebenkin gone, there's quite a drop from Cowan to the next forwards who the Leafs might look to one day to make an impact.
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But as for the group that includes Jacob Quillan, Miroslav Holinka, Nick Moldenhauer, Joe Miller and Roni Hirvonen, it might be a stretch to assume that any of them will one day become full-time Leafs. It's too early to say what Luke Haymes and Ryan Kirwan, both signed out of college this past year, could eventually provide.
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Cowan easily is the best of the bunch. What kind of NHL player the 20-year-old eventually develops into is to be determined, yet how can there not be a solid foundation of optimism for someone who has been dominant in the past two Ontario Hockey League seasons?
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At his end-of-season media availability last week, Treliving made the comment that 'champions have the ability to be calm and at their very best when it matters the most.'
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It was in reference to the Florida Panthers and Treliving acknowledged that the Leafs have to find improvement in that regard (no kidding).
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The gap between major junior hockey to the NHL undoubtedly is significant. Still, the fact that Cowan, with the Knights, fits Treliving's champion thoughts to a T has to be a source of encouragement for the organization as a whole.
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This year, Cowan led the OHL in playoff scoring, leading London to a five-game win against the Oshawa Generals in the final, and led the Memorial Cup in scoring on the way to being named tournament MVP.
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