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Tom Banks
October 10, 2025  (5:48 PM)

Easton Cowan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Photo credit: The Hockey News

Easton Cowan is currently a healthy scratch in Toronto, and now some top analysts have called them out for their decisions on their top prospect.

The Toronto Maple Leafs started their 2025/26 campaign well with a win over the rival Montreal Canadiens, with the offense seemingly humming in a critical season opener.

The lineup is still one that needs refining, and will likely need to be changed throughout the new season, but with their stars still playing at their best, this is a fanbase optimistic for their chances this season.

Analyst Calls Out the Maple Leafs for Not Playing Easton Cowan

One change that plenty of fans want to see is the injection of top prospect Easton Cowan into the lineup, with their former first-round pick currently a healthy scratch, and is likely to remain so heading into Game 2 of the season.

Now, Maple Leafs analyst Nick Alberga has called the team out for how they’ve handled Cowan, noting that he should be in the AHL with the Marlies if the team aren’t going to play him in the NHL early in the year.

At any rate, if Cowan’s not going to play, we see no reason to have him in the NHL. He needs to play. If it’s with the Marlies, then so be it.

In his latest update, Head Coach Craig Berube reveals he’s been impressed with Cowan to this point in his career and how he’s practiced, noting that they’re yet to make a decision on Cowan ahead of a Saturday night encounter with the Detroit Red Wings.

Those are decisions we have to discuss and make. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Ultimately, Cowan is old enough to play in the AHL, and if the team don’t see him as an every day player, experience there may be better than having him in the press box in the NHL, but if Berube’s comments are anything to go by, we may be seeing him sooner, rather than later.

Previously on HouseOfHockey

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