The Maple Leafs Need To Make a Decision on Easton Cowan

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t been forced to develop many prospects in recent years. As a near-constant playoff guarantee with Stanley Cup aspirations, they’ve often opted to trade away draft capital in an effort to win now.

Over the last seven drafts, they’ve selected in the first round just three times, usually in the latter half, thanks to their strong finishes in the standings. Easton Cowan (28th overall, 2023) was one of those picks, and his debut season with the team has had its ups and downs thus far.

Making the team as a 20-year-old out of training camp was a great story in itself, and there have been flashes of the high-end skill that makes you envision him eventually turning into a legitimate point producer at the NHL level. That said, there have also been plenty of moments where his age and lack of physical maturity have shown, which is understandable; jumping into a grown man’s league is no easy task.

All in all, his 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 26 games are quite solid for a rookie averaging just 14:45 per night; however, he’s now hit a bit of a roadblock in his debut campaign.

After seeing his minutes drop in the week leading up to it, Cowan was then scratched Sunday night in Dallas, with head coach Craig Berube saying it was time for him to watch a game from the press box. Tuesday afternoon against Pittsburgh brought more of the same, as he was a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game, and with the way Matias Maccelli has looked in his place, it’s fair to wonder whether that trend could continue after the holiday break.

His recent usage has drawn the ire of fans, many of whom are questioning the fluctuation in his ice time—especially with several forwards who make little impact continuing to dress night after night. With that in mind, it feels like it’s about time to start evaluating the different avenues the Maple Leafs can take with Cowan moving forward to best support his development.

Toronto’s Options With Easton Cowan

It boils down to three options for the Maple Leafs when it comes to Cowan. 

The first option would involve playing him higher in the lineup with their other top talent to gain real NHL experience, allowing him to remain through any mistakes. There will certainly be some bumps along the way, but if he’s going to be up with the big club, you might as well give him the opportunity to thrive in a role that suits his skill set.

Option number two would be sending him down to the Toronto Marlies to further develop his game and gain confidence by lighting up the AHL while receiving top-line and top power-play usage, as most skilled players do coming out of junior hockey.

Finally, option number three would be to trade him as part of a package for a legitimate player who can help the team win now and moving forward. This one is polarizing, given that some are higher on Cowan’s potential than others, not to mention the struggles of the team thus far in 2025-26.

In all likelihood, the Maple Leafs will probably continue to deploy him the same way they have for most of the season—moving Cowan up and down, and in and out of the lineup, with little consistency to his role. While that’s not the worst thing in the world, there are far better ways to aid his development, so they really should consider how they’re going to handle the rookie moving forward.

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