Maple Leafs Urged to Consider Cowan Trade in Blackhawks Prospect Blockbuster

Until they start to turn things around on the ice or big changes are made off the ice, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be a major talking point around the NHL. As of Friday, November 21, neither has happened, so the team and its players remain in the spotlight.

---

Points in three of their last four games are a start, but two of those were overtime losses, and it still hasn’t been pretty, even in the midst of a softer schedule. As a result, the overwhelming consensus remains that the Maple Leafs need to shake up their roster, though with the core being off limits, it gets thin in a hurry.

That is, unless someone like Easton Cowan was involved, and on Thursday, analyst Nick Alberga proposed that Toronto dangle their top prospect if it meant acquiring one of Sam Rinzel or Artyom Levshunov out of Chicago.

Alberga wrote:

“Personally, I want Rinzel or Levshunov out of Chicago. And, I would dangle Cowan for that, too. Would like to clarify on word choice. I realize it would cost Cowan+ to acquire one of those two.”

It’s an interesting thought, but Levshunov, the Blackhawks second-overall pick in 2024, is certainly not available. Rinzel, on the other hand, could draw more of a conversation having just been a healthy scratch when the Hawks beat the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Is Easton Cowan Untouchable?

We know that Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies are untouchable, so where does that leave Cowan?

Given their lack of prospects and young talent as a whole, Toronto shouldn’t be willing to part with the 20-year-old unless they’re receiving a blue-chip piece in return, which Levshunov or Rinzel would qualify as.

Cowan has started to look much more comfortable in recent games, including what was possibly his best game in the NHL on Thursday against Columbus, where he tallied the game-tying assist and logged over 20 minutes of ice time.

It’s becoming clear that with more time and experience, the rookie is acclimating to the pro game, so unless there’s an opportunity to hit a home run of a deal, the Maple Leafs will be best suited to ride Cowan and let him continue to prove he’s worthy of a top-six role moving forward.

Next: Maple Leafs Depth Destroyed? A Shocking Number of Picks Given Up